Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Shave's 53% lifetime approval rate is measured against the Reno NV Hearing Office latest rate of 60% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 7,069 lifetime decisions accumulated over 6 years on the bench. 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 Shave'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 6-year tenure, Judge Shave has presided over 7,069 lifetime decisions. The yearly trend shows an approval rate of 55% in 2016, 58% in 2017, 51% in 2018, and 49% in 2019. This pattern reflects shifts in decision-making over time, which may be influenced by changes in case complexity or evolving evidentiary standards.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Shave'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 Shave? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Reno NV hearing office
The Reno NV Hearing Office serves you throughout Nevada, managing a volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 5 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 60%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Reno NV Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Reno NV Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates across the bench range from 27% to 56%. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms. 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.