Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Morgan maintains a 67% lifetime approval rate, which remains a significant metric when viewed against the 56% latest approval rate for the Knoxville office and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a substantial career docket of 21,782 decisions. 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 Morgan'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, Judge Morgan has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. The yearly trend shows a high of 80% in 2017, followed by a period of stabilization between 60% and 70% for much of the last decade. The most recent reporting period shows a 57% approval rate. This pattern suggests that while you may see a steady volume of decisions, recent outcomes reflect current case complexity and evidence standards.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Morgan'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 Morgan? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Knoxville hearing office
The Knoxville Hearing Office serves a large population across Tennessee, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 56%, closely mirroring state and national trends. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Knoxville 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 assignment is essentially random. Across the Knoxville bench, lifetime approval rates for the 6 judges range from 13% to 67%. Because of this variance, understanding that your specific judge is determined by administrative process rather than choice is important. You can find more information on the Knoxville 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.