Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to current office and national benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Schafer has maintained a 35% approval rate over his 10-year tenure, while the Little Rock office currently reports a 41% approval rate. These figures are measured against a national average of 58%. 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 Schafer'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 10 years on the bench and 25,377 total decisions, Judge Schafer has maintained a steady approval pattern. While his rate saw a temporary rise to 40% in 2022, recent data shows a return to 32% in the latest reporting period. This latest period reflects a continuation of his long-term trend, suggesting that his approach to evidence and testimony has remained consistent over the last decade.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Schafer'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 Schafer? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Little Rock hearing office
The Little Rock Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout Arkansas and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to address your needs. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 41%, which serves as a baseline for the area. You can see the Little Rock 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 a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Little Rock office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 27% to 52%. Because of this variance, understanding the local environment is helpful for your claim. You can view the Little Rock Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
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.