Approval rates
Judge Merchan's approval rate is calculated from a docket of 16,873 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the judge maintained an 80% approval rate, which is 11 percentage points higher than the national average of 58%. These figures offer a point of comparison when evaluating the landscape of your upcoming hearing. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting individual hearing outcomes.
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 Merchan'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, your judge has shown an upward trend in approval rates, moving from 63% in 2016 to 81% in 2025. This steady increase reflects a consistent approach to evaluating evidence and medical documentation over the last decade. The most recent period shows approval rates remaining strong compared to earlier years, providing context for how the judge's decision-making process has evolved.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Merchan'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 Merchan? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Oklahoma City hearing office
The Oklahoma City Hearing Office serves a broad population, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 73%, reflecting local standards for evidence and disability documentation. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can visit the Oklahoma City 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 your assigned judge is selected randomly. Within the Oklahoma City Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 43% to 79%. Because you cannot choose your judge, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as looking at one individual. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent 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.