Approval rates
When evaluating your chances, comparing a judge's lifetime performance against broader benchmarks is a standard starting point. Judge Smith's 87% lifetime approval rate stands in contrast to the 58% office-wide latest approval rate and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 1,282 lifetime decisions, providing a statistically significant view of past activity. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions 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 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 2-year tenure on the bench, Judge Smith has maintained a consistent approval pattern. The data shows an 87% approval rate in both 2016 and 2017, indicating a steady approach to case evaluation throughout this period. This stability suggests that the judge's decision-making process has remained predictable. Such consistency helps in understanding the judicial environment, though the ultimate outcome of your case will depend on the specific medical evidence and testimony you present.
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.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Grand Rapids hearing office
The Grand Rapids Hearing Office serves you throughout the region, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office operates under the standard SSA procedures for administrative hearings. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Grand Rapids 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. Within the Grand Rapids Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates across the bench range from 43% to 87%. Because of this variance, understanding the general environment of your hearing office is useful, but the specific judge you draw matters. You can find more information on the Grand Rapids 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.