Approval rates
Judge Parrish has a lifetime approval rate of 39% across 11,394 lifetime decisions. In the latest reporting period, her approval rate trailed the Atlanta Downtown Hearing Office average by 25 percentage points and the national average by 19 percentage points. These figures provide a baseline for understanding how this judge has historically approached disability claims. 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 Parrish'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 7-year tenure, Judge Parrish has maintained a stable decision pattern. After an initial period in 2017, her annual approval rates have fluctuated between 33% and 42%. The most recent data shows a consistent trend, with approval rates holding at 42% throughout 2022 and 2023. This steady performance suggests a predictable approach to evidence evaluation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Parrish'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 Parrish? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Atlanta Downtown hearing office
The Atlanta Downtown Hearing Office serves a significant volume of claimants throughout Georgia. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a complex caseload that reflects the diverse needs of the region. The office-wide latest approval rate is 64%, which provides context for the local hearing environment. You can see the Atlanta Downtown Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Atlanta Downtown Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 23% to 69%. This variance highlights why preparation is essential regardless of which judge is assigned to your claim. You can find more information on the office's general procedures on the Atlanta Downtown 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.