Approval rates
Judge Pilkey maintains a lifetime approval rate of 68% based on 30,187 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 68%, which is 12 percentage points higher than the Kingsport Hearing Office average and 10 points above the national average. This data is drawn from a significant volume of cases, providing a stable view of his decision-making history. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Pilkey'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Pilkey has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. His yearly approval trends show stability, with rates generally fluctuating between 65% and 71% throughout his tenure. The most recent data shows a 70% approval rate, suggesting that his current decision-making pattern remains aligned with his long-term average. This consistency helps provide a predictable environment for your hearing preparation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Pilkey'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 Pilkey? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Kingsport hearing office
The Kingsport Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Tennessee and the surrounding region. It is staffed by a team of 6 administrative law judges who manage a high volume of disability appeals. The office currently reports an approval rate of 56%, which serves as a baseline for the local jurisdiction. You can visit the Kingsport Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you draw is essentially random. Within the Kingsport Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 45% to 77%. Because of this variance, understanding the office environment is helpful, but the core requirements for proving your disability remain the same. For preparation purposes, the guidance is consistent regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.