Approval rates
Judge Lewis maintains a lifetime approval rate of 48% based on 9,938 decisions. This rate aligns with the current 48% average at the Macon Hearing Office but remains 10 percentage points lower than both the state and national averages of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant volume of cases, providing a stable look at historical trends. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Lewis's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Over your 5 years on the bench, Judge Lewis has seen his approval rate fluctuate. After starting at 49% in 2016 and reaching a peak of 54% in 2018, the rate saw a decline in the final years of his reported tenure, settling at 43% by 2020. This trend indicates a shift in outcomes that may reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented. The recent period reflects a continuation of this downward adjustment from his mid-tenure peak.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lewis's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
Hearing with Judge Lewis? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Macon hearing office
The Macon Hearing Office serves a broad population across Georgia, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 48%, reflecting the regional landscape of SSDI adjudication. You should be prepared for a rigorous review of medical documentation and vocational evidence. You can see the Macon Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Macon Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 30% to 65%. While these variances exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.