Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average approval rate sits at 58%, Judge Mills maintains a lifetime rate of 34%. This data is drawn from 3,570 lifetime decisions rendered over two years on the bench. 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 Mills III'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 two years on the bench, your approval rate for Judge Mills has remained consistent at 34%. This steady pattern across 3,570 lifetime decisions suggests a stable approach to case evaluation. The recent reporting period shows a rate 12 percentage points below the office average, reflecting a continuation of this established trend. This consistency allows for a clearer understanding of how evidence is typically weighed in this courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Mills III'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 Mills? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc St Louis hearing office
The NHC St Louis hearing office serves you throughout Missouri and the surrounding region. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges and a latest office-wide approval rate of 46%. You should be prepared for a formal process centered on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. See the NHC St Louis 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. At the NHC St Louis hearing office, the bench includes 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 34% to 70%. Because your assigned judge is outside of your control, focusing on the quality of your medical evidence remains the most effective strategy for 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.