Approval rates
When reviewing the performance of Judge Poulos, it is helpful to look at her lifetime approval rate of 28% in the context of broader trends. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, individual judges often show variance based on the specific cases they hear. With 19,346 lifetime decisions, the data provides a stable look at her history on the bench. 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 Poulos'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 her 10 years on the bench, Judge Poulos has seen her approval rate fluctuate, with a low of 17% in 2018 and a recent rate of 34% in 2025. This trend shows that while her lifetime average is 28%, her recent decision-making has moved toward the higher end of her historical range. These shifts often reflect changes in the types of cases assigned or the quality of evidence presented. The latest period suggests a continuation of this more recent pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Poulos'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 Poulos? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charlotte hearing office
The Charlotte Hearing Office serves you and other residents across North Carolina as part of a busy regional network. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to ensure timely processing for those seeking benefits. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 72%, which provides a local benchmark for your hearing. You can see the Charlotte Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Charlotte Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 28% to 78%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your own medical documentation. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.