Approval rates
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Jonathan Stanley's 54% approval rate sits above the 50% office average and 51% state average, though below the 58% national mark. These figures are based on 496 decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting outcomes for your specific 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 Stanley'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 2016, Jonathan Stanley has issued 4,496 decisions. The yearly approval rate has fluctuated, reaching a high of 60% in 2024 and a low of 44% in 2018. The most recent 12 months, with a 54% approval rate, sit near the long-term average of 53% recorded since 2016.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Stanley'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 Lexington hearing office
The Lexington hearing office is the most recent office on record for 18 judges as of July 2026. Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, the office maintained a 50% approval rate. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on the evidence provided in your file.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Lexington
Among the 10 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file, approval rates range from 38% to 55% over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. There are 18 judges whose most recent office on record is this one, with 10 of them having decided cases in the latest file.
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 Stanley's 54%. All five last decided cases in Kentucky.
- 54% Approval rate, last 12 months Boyce Crocker
- 54% Approval rate, last 12 months David Peeples
- 55% Approval rate, last 12 months Christopher C. Sheppard
- 53% Approval rate, last 12 months Davida H. Isaacs
- 53% Approval rate, last 12 months Tommye C. Mangus
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 Stanley 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
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Jonathan Stanley's 54% approval rate is within the 38% to 55% range of the 10 judges who decided cases at the Lexington hearing office in SSA's latest file. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this bench.
Jonathan Stanley's approval rate has varied year-to-year since 2016, ranging from 44% to 60%. The current 54% rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, is consistent with the 53% average observed across the 4,496 decisions on record since 2016. An attorney can help you understand how these trends relate to your case.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm. An attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of which judge is assigned.
An SSDI hearing is a formal proceeding where a judge reviews the evidence in your file and hears testimony. You may be asked about your medical conditions, work history, and daily limitations. An attorney can help you organize your evidence and prepare for the questions you will face.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions and does not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your case's success depends primarily on the quality of the medical evidence and testimony you present. An attorney can help you build the strongest possible case for your hearing.
