Approval rates
Judge Sheely has presided over 18,187 lifetime decisions during his 10-year tenure. His latest reporting period shows an 84% approval rate, which is 3 percentage points higher than the Mobile office average and 18 points above the national average of 58%. This volume of cases provides a statistical baseline for understanding his decision-making history. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Sheely'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 shown a steady pattern with yearly fluctuations. After a period of lower approvals in 2021, the trend shifted upward, reaching an 84% approval rate in the most recent reporting period. This recent uptick may reflect changes in case mix or the quality of evidence presented in recent dockets. The current data suggests a consistent approach to evaluating your disability claim based on the evidence provided.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Sheely'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 Sheely? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Mobile hearing office
The Mobile Hearing Office serves a broad population across Alabama, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide approval rate that reflects the regional nature of the cases heard. You can expect a thorough review process where your medical documentation is the primary driver of the decision. You can visit the Mobile 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Mobile office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 54% to 76%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on the strength of your medical evidence and the completeness of your file. The guidance for your preparation remains the same regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
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.