Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks offers insight into the local hearing environment. Judge Siegel maintains a lifetime approval rate of 53%, which tracks 3 points below the Kingsport Hearing Office average and 5 points below the national average. These figures are derived from 8,242 lifetime decisions. 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 Siegel'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 4 years on the bench, Judge Siegel has seen his approval rate fluctuate. After a period of relative stability between 2016 and 2018, the data shows a decline in the most recent reporting year. This shift may reflect changes in the complexity of cases assigned or the specific nature of the medical evidence presented. Judicial patterns are rarely static and often respond to broader shifts in the disability claims landscape.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Siegel'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 Siegel? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Kingsport hearing office
The Kingsport Hearing Office serves a broad region of Tennessee, managing a high volume of disability claims through its 6-judge bench. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 56%, reflecting local standards for evaluating medical evidence and vocational capacity. You can expect a formal process focused on detailed documentation and testimony. You can see the Kingsport Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Kingsport Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 45% to 77%. This variance highlights the importance of focusing on the merits of your own medical records rather than the specific judge assigned. You can find more information on the Kingsport Hearing Office page.
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.