Approval rates
Judge Naylor’s approval rate is evaluated against the backdrop of the Montgomery Hearing Office, which currently reports a 69% approval rate. With a decade of experience and over 21,615 lifetime decisions, the data provides a look at how this judge approaches disability claims. These figures are compared against state and national benchmarks to provide context for your upcoming hearing. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Naylor'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Naylor has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. While approval rates fluctuated between 63% and 76% during the middle of her tenure, the most recent data shows an 81% approval rate in the latest reporting period. This shift reflects a move above the long-term lifetime average of 70%. These trends are often influenced by changes in the types of cases heard or the quality of medical evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Naylor'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.
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Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Montgomery hearing office
The Montgomery Hearing Office serves a broad population across Alabama, managing a high volume of disability claims with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an office-wide approval rate of 69%, which sits above the national average. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Montgomery 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 to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Montgomery Hearing Office, the office's 6 ALJs range from 53% to 78% in lifetime approval rates. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical evidence is the most effective way to prepare. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.