Approval rates
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Joseph Liken's 88% approval rate compares to the Dallas North OHO office rate of 63%, the Texas state rate of 56%, and the national rate of 58%. These figures reflect recent activity and provide a look at how your hearing may proceed.
SSA publishes no office- or national-level breakdown of fully favorable and denial rates. The 12 months are SSA's figures for this fiscal year to date plus the rest of the previous fiscal year; how we calculate them.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Liken'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
Since 2016, Joseph Liken has issued 4,817 decisions. The yearly approval rate has fluctuated, showing a low of 70% in 2021 and reaching 89% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. The most recent 12 months sit above the 81% approval rate recorded since 2016.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Liken'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.
About the Dallas North OHO hearing office
The Dallas North OHO is the most recent office on record for 20 judges, with 11 of those judges deciding cases in SSA's latest file. The office maintained a 63% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. You can find more information on the Dallas North OHO hearing office page.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Dallas North OHO
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your judge is assigned randomly. Among the 11 judges who decided cases at the Dallas North OHO in SSA's latest file, approval rates range from 20% to 98% over the 12 months to July 31, 2026.
Judges with similar approval rates
These active judges' approval rates over the same 12 months (July 26, 2025 – July 31, 2026) are closest to Judge Liken's 88%. Three of them last decided cases in Texas. With too few close matches there, the rest come from SSA's Dallas region.
- 87% Approval rate, last 12 months Peter F. Gazda
- 86% Approval rate, last 12 months Helen F. Strong
- 85% Approval rate, last 12 months Charles Walters
- 88% Approval rate, last 12 months David W. Engel
- 89% Approval rate, last 12 months Michael L. Harris
Rates within 5 points of each other are hard to tell apart at a typical caseload, so treat these as judges with comparable records, not a ranking. See Judge Liken and the three closest side by side →
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Joseph Liken's 88% approval rate is higher than the 63% average for the Dallas North OHO. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of your hearing.
Joseph Liken's approval rate has varied over the years, ranging from 70% in 2021 to 89% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. An attorney can help you evaluate your case strategy based on these trends.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, making the assignment process random. An attorney can help you prepare regardless of your assigned judge.
An SSDI hearing is a formal proceeding where a judge reviews your medical evidence and may hear testimony from you or vocational experts. Working with a qualified attorney can help you organize your evidence and prepare for the hearing process.
