Approval rates
Judge D. B. Stalley has presided over 17,054 lifetime decisions during a 10-year tenure on the bench. This volume of cases provides a foundation for observing decision patterns. Currently, the judge's approval rate sits above both the Mobile Hearing Office average of 73% and the national average of 58%. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting outcomes for your specific 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 Stalley'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 the past decade, your judge's approval rate has shown an upward trajectory. After a period of fluctuation between 2016 and 2022, the data indicates a rise in favorable outcomes, reaching 93% in the most recent reporting period. This pattern reflects a shift in recent decision-making, with the latest period remaining notably higher than the long-term lifetime average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Stalley'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 Stalley? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Mobile hearing office
The Mobile Hearing Office serves a population across Alabama and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of SSDI hearings annually. The office-wide latest approval rate of 73% provides a baseline for the local judicial environment. You can find more information on the local bench by visiting the Mobile Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Mobile Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 54% to 80%. Because case assignment is outside your control, focusing on the quality of your medical evidence remains the most effective way to prepare for your hearing.
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.