Approval rates
Judge Richey has presided over 19,601 lifetime decisions during a 10-year tenure on the bench. In the most recent reporting period, the judge recorded a 44% approval rate, which is 3 percentage points below the Florence Hearing Office average and 12 points below the national average. These statistics provide a broad view of historical decision-making patterns at this office. 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 Richey'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 the past decade, your judge's approval rate has shifted through several phases. After reaching a peak of 62% in 2017, the rate declined to a low of 27% in 2021 before showing signs of stabilization. The current 46% lifetime rate reflects this long-term trajectory across two different hearing offices. This pattern suggests that the judge's approach has evolved, and the most recent data points indicate a steadying of decision outcomes.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Richey'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 Richey? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Florence hearing office
The Florence Hearing Office serves a large population across South Carolina and maintains a busy docket with 6 active judges. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 49%, reflecting the complex nature of the claims processed in this region. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can see the Florence 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 judge is selected randomly. Within the Florence Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 33% to 76%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence remains the most important factor in your claim. 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.