Approval rates
When evaluating your judge's history, it is helpful to compare their performance against the broader bench at their most recent office. Katie H. Pierce has maintained a 60% approval rate across 1,899 decisions since 2016. By contrast, the 12 judges whose most recent office on record is the NHC Albuquerque show a range of 31% to 61% for the same period.
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 Pierce'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
The approval trend for Katie H. Pierce has varied since 2016. While the record shows 1,899 decisions, the latest reporting period indicates an approval rate of 48%, which sits 3 points above the office average for that same period. This recent shift reflects the judge's docket fluctuations over the last decade.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Pierce'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 NHC Albuquerque hearing office
Katie H. Pierce's most recent office on record is the NHC Albuquerque, with decisions there through July 2026. This office serves you in the New Mexico region and maintains a bench of 12 judges. The office-wide approval rate in the latest reporting period was 45%, providing a benchmark for the local hearing environment.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is NHC Albuquerque
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 12 judges whose most recent office on record is the NHC Albuquerque, and 6 of them decided cases here in the latest file through July 2026. Approval rates across this bench vary significantly, ranging from 31% to 61% since 2016.
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
Katie H. Pierce has an approval rate of 60% since 2016, which sits within the 31% to 61% range of the 12 judges whose most recent office on record is the NHC Albuquerque. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this hearing office.
Yes, the approval rate for Katie H. Pierce has fluctuated over time. While she maintained higher approval rates in years like 2017 and 2018, the latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 48%. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific case evidence.
No, you cannot request a specific judge for your SSDI hearing. The Social Security Administration uses a random workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to judges. Because you cannot choose your judge, working with an attorney is a proactive way to ensure your case is prepared for any outcome.
An approval rate is a probability based on past decisions, not a guarantee of how Katie H. Pierce will rule on your specific claim. Your medical evidence and testimony remain the most critical factors in your hearing. An attorney can help you organize your records to present the strongest possible case.
