Approval rates
Judge Sheperd has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 53% throughout his 9-year tenure. Compared to the most recent reporting period, his approval rate sits 2 percentage points below the Akron OH Hearing Office average and 5 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 19,696 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting your specific outcome.
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 Sheperd'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 his 9 years on the bench, Judge Sheperd has seen his approval rate fluctuate, reaching a peak of 57% in 2022 before a recent shift to 46% in 2024. His career began with a 54% approval rate in 2016. The data indicates that while his approval rate has remained generally consistent, the most recent reporting period reflects a departure from his long-term average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Sheperd'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 Sheperd? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Akron OH hearing office
The Akron OH Hearing Office serves a significant population of applicants across Ohio, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 55%, which is slightly below the national average of 58%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Akron OH 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 you cannot choose your judge. Within the Akron OH Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 44% to 60%. This variance highlights why understanding the specific environment of your hearing office is important.
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.