Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Shoenholz maintains a lifetime approval rate of 65%, which currently tracks 7 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 16,297 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his historical decision-making. 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 Shoenholz'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 Shoenholz has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. While his early years showed higher approval rates, the data has stabilized, with a 61% approval rate in the latest reporting period. This latest figure remains 7 points higher than the office average, suggesting a steady pattern of evaluation. This trend reflects a continuation of his established judicial philosophy.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Shoenholz'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.
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Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Columbia SC hearing office
The Columbia SC Hearing Office serves a broad population across South Carolina, managing a high volume of SSDI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide approval rate that reflects the regional caseload and complexity of claims. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. For more details, see the Columbia SC Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the 6 judges at the Columbia SC Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates range from 51% to 65%. While individual tendencies vary, the core requirements for proving your disability remain consistent. 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.