Approval rates
Judge Shumway maintains a lifetime approval rate of 51%, a figure derived from 23,569 lifetime decisions rendered during a decade on the bench. In the most recent reporting period, the judge recorded an approval rate of 54%, which compares to the 72% average seen across the Spokane Hearing Office. While these numbers provide a statistical baseline, they do not account for the unique medical evidence in your file. 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 Shumway'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 10 years, Judge Shumway's approval patterns have shown steady activity, with yearly rates fluctuating between a low of 43% and a high of 58%. The most recent data indicates a 54% approval rate, suggesting the judge's decision-making remains consistent with their long-term career average. This stability is common among judges with high-volume dockets. The recent period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, which helps you and your representative anticipate the evidentiary standards typically applied in this courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Shumway'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 Shumway? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Spokane hearing office
The Spokane Hearing Office serves a broad region in Washington, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case processing is handled through standardized federal procedures. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on the documentation of your impairments. You can see the Spokane Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you have no control over which judge hears your appeal. Within the Spokane Hearing Office, approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 48% to 78% lifetime. This variance underscores the importance of focusing on the merits of your specific medical claim. 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.