Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Shilling maintains a lifetime approval rate of 46%, which can be measured against the Fort Smith office's latest average of 59% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 10,518 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his historical approach. 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 Shilling'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 7-year tenure, Judge Shilling's approval rate has shown notable fluctuations. After starting with a 64% approval rate in 2016, the data indicates a period of lower approval percentages between 2018 and 2020, followed by a brief return to higher rates in 2021 before a limited sample in 2022. These shifts often reflect changes in the types of cases heard or evolving standards for medical evidence. This pattern suggests that the strength and clarity of your medical documentation remain the most critical factors in your case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Shilling'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 Shilling? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Fort Smith hearing office
The Fort Smith Hearing Office serves you across Arkansas, managing a high volume of disability appeals. As one of 6 judges at this location, Judge Shilling operates within a system designed to process claims efficiently while adhering to strict evidentiary standards. You should expect a formal process focused on objective medical proof of your limitations. For more information on the local bench, see the Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 66%. While these differences exist, the core requirements for proving disability under federal guidelines 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.