Approval rates
Judge Mullins maintains a lifetime approval rate of 54% based on 3,811 total decisions. In the most recent reporting period, your judge's approval rate was 50%, which is 4 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for your claim, though they do not account for the unique medical evidence you provide.
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 Mullins'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 3 years on the bench, Judge Mullins has seen a shift in approval trends. The data shows a change from a 65% approval rate in 2023 to 49% in 2025. This trend reflects the evolving nature of the cases heard during this tenure, and the latest period shows a continuation of this recent activity.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Mullins'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 Mullins? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charleston WV hearing office
The Charleston WV Hearing Office serves a significant population across West Virginia, managing a high volume of Social Security disability claims. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 59%, reflecting regional trends in disability adjudication. You can expect a formal, evidence-focused environment where your medical documentation is the primary driver of the decision. You can find more information on the Charleston WV Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Charleston WV Hearing Office uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you cannot choose your judge. The bench here is diverse, with lifetime approval rates for the office's 6 ALJs ranging from 39% to 79%. Because of this variance, the judge you are assigned can influence the procedural flow of your hearing.
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.