Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge McBarnette currently holds a 59% lifetime approval rate, which aligns with the state average and narrowly exceeds the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 961 lifetime decisions, offering a stable statistical baseline. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
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 McBarnette'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 her 1 year on the bench, Judge McBarnette has maintained a steady approval pattern. Her career data shows consistent decision-making across both the Baltimore and Columbus offices, with a lifetime rate of 59% in both jurisdictions. This stability suggests a predictable approach to evaluating medical evidence and vocational testimony. The current data reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge McBarnette'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 McBarnette? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Baltimore hearing office
The Baltimore Hearing Office serves you throughout Maryland, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 66%. You can expect a professional environment where medical documentation and vocational expert testimony are central to the hearing process. See the Baltimore 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 your judge is selected randomly. Within the Baltimore Hearing Office, approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 46% to 81%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical evidence is critical. 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.