Approval rates
Judge Shilling has maintained a consistent approval rate throughout his 8-year tenure, currently trending below both the Topeka KS office average of 43% and the national average of 58%. This data is derived from 15,013 lifetime decisions, offering a stable look at his historical decision-making patterns. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting outcomes 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 his 8 years on the bench, Judge Shilling has maintained a steady approval pattern, with annual rates consistently hovering between 21% and 26%. This stability suggests a predictable approach to case evaluation. Understanding this consistency can help you and your representative focus on building the strongest possible evidence for your specific medical conditions.
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.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Topeka KS hearing office
The Topeka KS Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Kansas, managing a high volume of disability appeals with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 43%, which serves as a benchmark for the region. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical documentation by the presiding ALJ. You can visit the Topeka KS Hearing Office page for more information.
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 Topeka KS office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 24% to 60%. Because of this variance, it is important to focus on the merits of your own claim, as the guidance for preparation remains consistent regardless of your assigned judge.
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.