Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader averages helps you set expectations for your hearing. While the national approval rate is 58%, Judge Milanes has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 50% over 16,470 decisions. These figures are derived from years of data, providing a stable look at how cases have been resolved in the past. 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 Milanes'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 nine-year tenure, the decision pattern for Judge Milanes has remained steady. After an initial period of adjustment, the approval rate has fluctuated within a narrow band, showing a recent rate of 53% in 2025 compared to 47% in 2022. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating your evidence and medical documentation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Milanes'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 Milanes? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Morgantown hearing office
The Morgantown Hearing Office serves you and other residents across West Virginia and surrounding regions. This office manages a significant volume of cases, with six judges currently presiding over hearings. The office-wide approval rate is 58%, which is higher than the rate observed for Judge Milanes during the latest reporting period. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of your medical evidence. For more details, see the Morgantown Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you cannot choose your judge. At the Morgantown Hearing Office, the bench consists of six judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 49% to 66%. Because assignment is essentially random, you may be scheduled before any of these judges. You can find more information on the Morgantown Hearing Office page.
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.