Approval rates
Judge Souza has maintained a consistent record over his 9-year tenure, with a lifetime approval rate of 58% based on 7,339 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate outperformed the Springfield MO Hearing Office average by 17 percentage points and the state average by 6 percentage points. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding his history, though they do not predict the outcome of your specific case.
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 Souza'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Souza has seen his approval rates fluctuate, starting at 61% in 2016 and reaching a peak of 90% in 2022 before a more recent shift to 36% in 2024. With 7,339 lifetime decisions, the data reflects a judge who has navigated various case volumes and procedural environments across 11 different hearing offices. This pattern highlights the importance of presenting a complete medical record regardless of historical trends.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Souza'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 Souza? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Springfield MO hearing office
The Springfield MO Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout Missouri and the surrounding region. The office currently operates with a bench of 6 judges who handle a diverse range of medical and vocational evidence. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 41%, the environment is focused on the rigorous evaluation of disability claims. You can visit the Springfield MO Hearing Office page to view 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 Springfield MO Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 27% to 58%. Because each judge operates with their own judicial approach, understanding the office-wide environment is a helpful step in your preparation.
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.