Approval rates
Judge Phares maintains a lifetime approval rate of 64%, which compares to the Raleigh Hearing Office latest average of 62% and the national latest approval rate of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 8,787 lifetime decisions over his 3-year tenure. While these statistics provide a useful baseline for understanding the judicial environment, they are not a guarantee of any specific outcome. 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 Phares'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 3 years on the bench, Judge Phares has demonstrated a shifting approval trend. His rate was 65% in 2016, 68% in 2017, and 59% in 2018. This fluctuation often reflects changes in the complexity of cases or the specific medical evidence presented during those periods. Despite these yearly shifts, his overall performance remains consistent with a high-volume administrative environment.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Phares'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 Phares? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Raleigh hearing office
The Raleigh Hearing Office serves a large population across North Carolina, managing a high volume of SSDI and SSI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 62%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on the review of medical records and vocational testimony. You can see the Raleigh 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Raleigh Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 40% to 69%. Because each judge approaches evidence differently, it is important to understand the broader context of the office. You can find more information on the Raleigh 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.