Approval rates
When evaluating your case, it is helpful to look at how a judge's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Spaulding's lifetime approval rate of 56% is measured against the latest office average of 64% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 10,879 lifetime decisions, providing a view of his historical decision-making. 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 Spaulding'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 Spaulding has seen fluctuations in his annual approval rates. After starting with a 56% approval rate in 2016, the data shows a period of variance, including a dip in 2019 and 2020 before returning to a more consistent range in recent years. The latest reporting period shows a rate of 58%, which aligns closely with his long-term career average. This trend reflects a stable approach to case evaluation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Spaulding'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 Spaulding? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Eugene hearing office
The Eugene Hearing Office serves you throughout Oregon, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active caseload that reflects the regional demand for SSDI hearings. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Eugene Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Eugene Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 44% to 81%. Because each judge manages their own docket, you may encounter different procedural preferences.
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.