Approval rates
In the most recent reporting period, Judge Price recorded a 50% approval rate, which aligns with the St Louis office average but sits 4 percentage points below the national average of 58%. This data is drawn from 27,680 lifetime decisions. Comparing these figures to broader benchmarks helps you understand the environment of your upcoming 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 Price'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-year tenure, Judge Price has maintained a steady decision pattern. After reaching 58% in 2018, his annual approval rates have shifted, reaching 50% in the most recent period. This movement is common in high-volume offices and often reflects changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Price'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 Price? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the St Louis hearing office
The St Louis Hearing Office serves a large population across Missouri, managing a high volume of disability claims with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 54%. You can see the St Louis Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Price is random. Within the St Louis office, individual lifetime approval rates for the bench range from 41% to 78%. This variance highlights why understanding the local judicial landscape is important for your preparation.
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.