Approval rates
Comparing Judge Stanley's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While his lifetime approval rate stands at 46%, the Morgantown Hearing Office maintains a latest approval rate of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 13,870 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his judicial history. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 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
Over his 8 years on the bench, Judge Stanley has maintained a consistent decision pattern. After an initial approval rate of 56% in 2017, his annual rates have fluctuated, settling into a range between 43% and 46% in recent years. This trend indicates a steady approach to evaluating evidence and disability claims. The latest period reflects a continuation of this stable pattern, suggesting that the judge's requirements for evidence remain consistent over time.
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.
Hearing with Judge Stanley? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Morgantown hearing office
The Morgantown Hearing Office serves claimants across West Virginia, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office currently reports an approval rate of 58%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Morgantown Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is selected randomly. Within the Morgantown Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 66%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is essential. You can review the full roster on the Morgantown Hearing Office page.
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.