Approval rates
Judge Malvey's approval rate is measured against both the Manchester Hearing Office and national benchmarks to provide a clear picture of his decision-making history. Over his 10 years on the bench, he has maintained a record that tracks above the 58% national approval rate. This data is derived from a docket of 15,733 lifetime decisions, offering a stable statistical foundation. 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 Malvey'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
Across a decade of service, Judge Malvey has seen his approval rates fluctuate, moving from a low of 50% in 2019 to a peak of 69% in 2023 and 2024. This trend suggests a shift in outcomes over time, with the most recent data showing 66% in 2025. Such variations are common and often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented. The latest period reflects a continuation of this performance-based pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Malvey'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 Malvey? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Manchester hearing office
The Manchester Hearing Office serves claimants throughout New Hampshire, managing a volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 59%, which aligns closely with state and national trends. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical documentation supporting your claim. You can see the Manchester Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Manchester Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges on the bench range from 46% to 64%. Because of this variance, understanding the broader office environment is as important as looking at your specific judge. The office's performance metrics provide a baseline for the local hearing environment.
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.