Approval rates
Judge Midles maintains a lifetime approval rate of 58% based on 5,057 total decisions. When compared to the most recent reporting period, his 59% approval rate remains consistent with his long-term performance. This sits exactly at the national average and 5 percentage points above the 53% approval rate seen across the rest of the Moreno Valley office. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting the outcome of your specific 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 Midles'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 his 3 years on the bench, Judge Midles has shown a steady decision-making pattern. After an initial 62% approval rate in 2023, the rate shifted to 56% in 2024 before returning to 59% in 2025. This fluctuation is common in high-volume dockets and does not indicate a departure from his established judicial approach. The latest data suggests a stable trend that remains well-aligned with broader regional and national benchmarks.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Midles'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 Midles? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Moreno Valley hearing office
The Moreno Valley Hearing Office serves a significant population of claimants across California, managing a high volume of disability cases. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 53%, reflecting the complex nature of the claims processed in this region. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical documentation and work history. You can visit the Moreno Valley 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 specific judge is assigned randomly. Within the Moreno Valley office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 37% to 60%. Because this variance exists, you should understand that the judge you draw is a matter of administrative chance. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
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.