Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how Judge Matthews compares to broader benchmarks. While the national approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Matthews has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 35% over 19,445 decisions. Comparing these figures to the Houston West office average of 56% provides context for the local hearing environment. These figures represent historical trends rather than specific outcomes for your case.
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 Matthews'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 a 10-year tenure, the approval rate for Judge Matthews has seen notable shifts. After starting with a 57% approval rate in 2016, the trend moved downward, reaching 22% in 2023 before showing a recent uptick to 44% in 2025. This pattern reflects the evolving nature of caseloads and evidence requirements over time. The latest period shows a 40% approval rate, which suggests a departure from the lower rates observed in the preceding years.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Matthews'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 Matthews? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Houston West hearing office
The Houston West Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants across Texas. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to ensure timely processing of disability appeals. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 56%, reflecting the local standards for evaluating complex medical and vocational evidence.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Houston West office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 29% to 55%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is the most effective way to prepare for your hearing.
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.