Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to current office and national benchmarks provides perspective on their decision-making history. Judge Peebles has presided over 22,070 lifetime decisions. While his recent approval rate is 56%, view this data as a probability indicator rather than a guaranteed outcome for your case. 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 Peebles'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 his 10-year tenure, Judge Peebles has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. His approval rates have fluctuated throughout his career, with a recent rate of 56% in the latest reporting period. This trend reflects a stable judicial philosophy that occasionally adjusts to shifts in case volume or evidence standards. The latest period demonstrates that his approach to evaluating disability remains grounded in established criteria.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Peebles'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 Peebles? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Memphis hearing office
The Memphis Hearing Office serves you throughout Tennessee and the surrounding region, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 54%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on verifying your medical eligibility under federal guidelines. You can see the Memphis Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. At the Memphis Hearing Office, the 6 ALJs range from 45% to 73% in lifetime approval rates. Because you cannot choose your judge, focus on the strength of your medical documentation and testimony. You can find more information on the Memphis 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.