Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to current office and national benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. With 21,309 lifetime decisions, the data for J. Petri offers a stable look at historical patterns. While the latest approval rate of 59% shows how the judge is currently deciding cases, remember that every claim is unique. 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 Petri'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 a 10-year tenure, your judge's approval rate has experienced notable shifts. After a period of lower approval rates between 2016 and 2020, the judge saw a marked increase in approvals starting in 2021, peaking at 69% in 2024 before adjusting to 57% in 2025. This pattern suggests that the judge's approach to evidence and case requirements has evolved. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented in the courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Petri'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 Petri? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Greenville hearing office
The Greenville Hearing Office serves a large population in South Carolina, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate that reflects the regional trends of the area. When you appear here, be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can see the Greenville 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 the assignment is essentially random. Within the Greenville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 44% to 65%. Because you cannot choose your judge, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as looking at one individual's history. You can find more information on the Greenville 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.