Approval rates
Judge Phillips holds a 71% lifetime approval rate across 24,618 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, their approval rate reached 67%, which is 6 points higher than the Dallas North office average and 13 points above the national average. This data is derived from a substantial career docket, providing a stable view of past decision-making trends. 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 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
Over a decade on the bench, Judge Phillips has seen shifts in approval patterns. After an initial period of higher approval rates, the data shows a transition toward a more moderate range in recent years. The current 67% approval rate reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, showing stability compared to the fluctuations observed in the early 2020s. This latest period suggests a consistent approach to evaluating evidence in your case.
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.
Hearing with Judge Phillips? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dallas North hearing office
The Dallas North hearing office serves you throughout the region, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a team of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket and a latest office-wide approval rate of 65%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Dallas North Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Dallas North office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 48% to 80%. Because of this variance, understanding the office environment is helpful for your preparation. You can find more information on the office's general trends on the Dallas North 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.