Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks helps provide context for your upcoming hearing. While the Franklin TN Hearing Office maintains a recent approval rate of 53%, Judge Smith’s lifetime performance stands at 33%. These figures are derived from a docket of 907 lifetime decisions, providing a look at historical trends. 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 Smith'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 tenure of 1 year, Judge Smith has maintained a consistent decision-making pattern. With 907 lifetime decisions recorded, the data reflects a steady approach to disability claims. The lifetime approval rate of 33% remains a defining characteristic of this judge's bench. This pattern suggests a stable evidentiary standard that has held firm throughout the reporting period.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Smith'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 Smith? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Franklin TN hearing office
The Franklin TN Hearing Office serves a population of claimants across Tennessee, managing a volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a recent approval rate of 53%, reflecting regional standards for disability adjudication. You can expect a review of your medical evidence and vocational history at this location. See the Franklin TN 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Franklin TN Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 33% to 63%. This variance highlights why understanding the tendencies of your assigned judge is a vital part of your hearing strategy. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.