Approval rates
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Maria L. Spitz's 84% approval rate compares to the Greensboro office's 65% and the national average of 58%. These figures are drawn from 444 decisions. These aggregate rates reflect past decisions rather than predictions for your individual hearing.
SSA publishes no office- or national-level breakdown of fully favorable and denial rates. The 12 months are SSA's figures for this fiscal year to date plus the rest of the previous fiscal year; how we calculate them.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Spitz'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
Since September 2023, Maria L. Spitz has issued 816 decisions on record. Her approval rate was 88% in 2024, 85% in 2025, and 85% in 2026. This pattern shows a consistent approval rate relative to the broader office bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Spitz'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.
About the Greensboro hearing office
The Greensboro Hearing Office is the most recent office on record for Maria L. Spitz, with her last recorded decision there in July 2026. The office's approval rate was 65% over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. You can view the full roster of judges on the Greensboro Hearing Office page.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Greensboro
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Greensboro Hearing Office, the 8 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file range from 51% to 84% over the 12-month window. You can find more information on the Greensboro Hearing Office page.
Judges with similar approval rates
These active judges' approval rates over the same 12 months (July 26, 2025 – July 31, 2026) are closest to Judge Spitz's 84%. Four of them last decided cases in North Carolina. With too few close matches there, the rest come from SSA's Atlanta region.
- 84% Approval rate, last 12 months John A. Thawley
- 85% Approval rate, last 12 months Randall D. Huggins
- 81% Approval rate, last 12 months Mary Ryerse
- 89% Approval rate, last 12 months Brent T. Asseff
- 84% Approval rate, last 12 months John E. Case
Rates within 5 points of each other are hard to tell apart at a typical caseload, so treat these as judges with comparable records, not a ranking. See Judge Spitz and the three closest side by side →
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Maria L. Spitz's 84% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, is at the high end of the range for the 8 judges who decided cases at the Greensboro office in SSA's latest file, who range from 51% to 84%. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific tendencies of the judge assigned to your case.
Maria L. Spitz has maintained a consistent approval rate on record since 2023, with 88% in 2024 and 85% in 2025. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific claim.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, making the assignment process random. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned.
An approval rate is a statistical observation based on past decisions, not a prediction for your specific hearing. While Maria L. Spitz's 84% rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, is informative, the strength of your medical evidence is the most important factor. An attorney can help you ensure your evidence is ready for your hearing.
