Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent activity. Over a 10-year career, Judge Parker has maintained a consistent record, while the most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 65%. This can be measured against the Madison Hearing Office average of 69% and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the hearing environment.
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 Parker'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
Judge Parker has presided over 17,770 lifetime decisions during a decade on the bench. The yearly trend shows a period of stability between 2018 and 2022, where approval rates hovered between 45% and 46%. Since 2023, the data indicates an upward trend, with approval rates climbing to 66% in 2025. This recent shift suggests a departure from the earlier, more conservative pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Parker'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 Parker? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Madison hearing office
The Madison Hearing Office serves you throughout Wisconsin, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket and processes thousands of hearings annually. The office-wide latest approval rate currently stands at 69%. You can find more information about the local bench on the Madison Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is assigned randomly. Within the Madison Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 49% to 78%. While these differences exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms.
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.