Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to current office and national benchmarks provides context for your hearing. While the national average sits at 58%, Judge Reeves has maintained a 44% lifetime approval rate over 16,244 decisions. Recent data shows a 67% approval rate in the latest period, which contrasts with the broader Birmingham office average of 52%. 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 Reeves'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 a 10-year tenure, the approval pattern for Judge Reeves has shown notable movement. After years of stability in the 40% range, the data indicates an upward trend in approvals starting in 2023. The most recent reporting period shows a 67% approval rate, marking a departure from the long-term lifetime average. This recent uptick may reflect changes in case mix or evidence quality presented at the hearing level.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Reeves'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 Reeves? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Birmingham hearing office
The Birmingham Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Alabama and the surrounding region. It manages a high volume of cases with a bench of six judges who oversee a wide variety of disability claims. The office currently reports a 52% approval rate, reflecting the local administrative environment. You can see the Birmingham 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 Birmingham Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the six judges range from 38% to 77%. Because you cannot choose your judge, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as reviewing one individual's history. You can find more information on the Birmingham 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.