Approval rates
You can measure Elisabeth McGee's 64% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, against the Fort Smith office average of 60%, the Arkansas state average of 47%, and the national average of 58% during that same period. These figures reflect past decisions rather than predictions for your individual hearing.
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 McGee'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 October 2016, Elisabeth McGee has issued 3,998 decisions on record. The yearly approval trend has fluctuated, moving from 40% in 2017 to 66% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. While the 12-month approval rate of 64% is higher than the 54% approval rate recorded over the entire period since 2016, the most recent 12 months represent a snapshot of recent activity.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge McGee'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 Fort Smith hearing office
The Fort Smith office serves you if you are in the region and is part of the broader SSA network. There are 8 judges whose most recent office on record is this one, with the office maintaining a 60% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. You can expect a standard administrative hearing process focused on the medical and vocational evidence you present in your file.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Fort Smith
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Among the 3 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file, approval rates range from 54% to 64% over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. There are 8 judges whose most recent office on record is this one, 3 of whom decided cases here in SSA's latest file.
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 McGee's 64%. One of them last decided cases in Arkansas. With too few close matches there, the rest come from SSA's Dallas region.
- 60% Approval rate, last 12 months Mark S. Ferguson
- 64% Approval rate, last 12 months Samuel Thomason
- 64% Approval rate, last 12 months Dwight D. Wilkerson
- 63% Approval rate, last 12 months Laura Roberts
- 65% Approval rate, last 12 months Gal Lahat
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 McGee 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, Elisabeth McGee's 64% approval rate sits at the top of the 54% to 64% range for the 3 judges currently active in the Fort Smith office's latest file. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned.
Elisabeth McGee's approval rate has varied over time, with a 54% average across 3,998 decisions since 2016 compared to a 64% rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. Because these rates reflect past decisions rather than future outcomes, speaking with a qualified attorney can help you understand how to best present your case.
No, you cannot request a specific judge for your SSDI hearing. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency across the office. A qualified attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions and does not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your case's success depends on the medical evidence and vocational testimony you provide. An attorney can help you organize this evidence to ensure it meets the requirements for disability benefits.
