Approval rates
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Judge Phillips's 69% approval rate is measured against the Dallas North OHO's 63%, the Texas state rate of 56%, and the national average of 58%. These figures rely on 408 decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
SSA publishes no office- or national-level breakdown of fully favorable and denial rates. The 12 months are SSA's figures for this fiscal year to date plus the rest of the previous fiscal year; how we calculate them.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Phillips'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
Since January 2016, Judge Phillips has issued 4,381 decisions, with an overall approval rate of 71%. The yearly trend shows a decline from 93% in 2016 to a low of 52% in 2021, followed by a recovery in recent years. The most recent 12 months sit slightly below the record since 2016.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Phillips'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.
About the Dallas North OHO hearing office
The Dallas North OHO is the most recent office on record for Judge Phillips as of July 2026. This office maintains a bench of 20 judges whose most recent office on record is this location. You can expect a standard hearing process governed by federal regulations.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Dallas North OHO
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. The 11 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file range from 20% to 98% on their 12-month approval rates. There are 20 judges whose most recent office on record is this one, and 11 of them decided cases here in SSA's latest file.
Judges with similar approval rates
These active judges' approval rates over the same 12 months (July 26, 2025 – July 31, 2026) are closest to Judge Phillips's 69%. All five last decided cases in Texas.
- 69% Approval rate, last 12 months D'Lisa Simmons
- 68% Approval rate, last 12 months Robert N. Burdette
- 71% Approval rate, last 12 months David R. Gutierrez
- 67% Approval rate, last 12 months Laura Bach
- 72% Approval rate, last 12 months Timothy Suing
Rates within 5 points of each other are hard to tell apart at a typical caseload, so treat these as judges with comparable records, not a ranking. See Judge Phillips and the three closest side by side →
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Judge Phillips's 69% approval rate sits above the office average of 63%. Among the 11 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file, approval rates range from 20% to 98% over that same period. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this judge's bench.
Judge Phillips has a 71% approval rate across 4,381 decisions on record since 2016. While his approval rate was 93% in 2016, it shifted over time to 69% over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. An attorney can help you understand how these historical patterns relate to your specific case.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses an automated workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to judges at the Dallas North OHO. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
An SSDI hearing is a formal proceeding where a judge reviews the evidence in your file and hears testimony. You will typically be asked questions about your medical conditions and your ability to perform work-related tasks. An attorney can help you prepare your testimony and organize your medical evidence to ensure your case is presented clearly.
