Approval rates
Comparing a judge's historical approval rate to office and national benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average for approval currently sits at 58%, Judge Panter has maintained a lifetime rate of 37% across 21,728 decisions. These figures are derived from a decade of service, offering a look at her decision-making history. 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 Panter'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 her 10 years on the bench, Judge Panter has navigated a variety of caseloads, with her approval rate showing fluctuations. After a period of decline reaching a low of 29% in 2023, the data indicates a recent upward trend, with the latest reporting period reaching 42%. This shift suggests a departure from the lower rates observed in the early 2020s. The recent uptick may reflect changes in case mix or evidence quality presented in recent dockets.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Panter'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 Panter? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Fort Worth hearing office
The Fort Worth Hearing Office serves a large population across Texas, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 55%. You should be prepared for a review of medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Fort Worth Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Fort Worth Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary, ranging from 30% to 51%. While these differences exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent regardless of who presides over your case. You can review the full ALJ roster on the Fort Worth 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.