Approval rates
Judge Preston has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 66% across 18,235 decisions during her 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate reached 76%, which is 8 percentage points higher than the current national average of 58%. This data provides a high level of statistical confidence for understanding her past performance. 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 Preston'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 Preston has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability claims. Her approval rates saw a period of adjustment between 2018 and 2020, but the trend has shown a steady increase since 2023. The most recent data indicates a return to higher approval levels compared to her mid-career average. This recent uptick may reflect changes in case mix or evidence quality, suggesting a continuation of her current adjudicatory pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Preston'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 Preston? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Morgantown hearing office
The Morgantown Hearing Office serves you across West Virginia and surrounding areas, managing a high volume of disability appeals. The office currently operates with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide approval rate that reflects the regional complexity of claims. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Morgantown Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Morgantown office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 66%. While these variations exist, the core requirements for proving your disability remain consistent regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Morgantown 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.