Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance against current office and national benchmarks provides a clearer picture of their decision-making history. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Stroud's lifetime rate is 45% across 24,354 decisions. These figures are derived from extensive data, offering a reliable look at historical trends. 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 Stroud'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 10-year tenure, Judge Stroud has seen his approval rates shift notably. While the lifetime average is 45%, the yearly trend reveals a steady climb, particularly in the most recent reporting period where the approval rate reached 70%. This recent uptick shows a departure from earlier patterns. Whether this reflects changes in the complexity of cases or evolving evidentiary standards, the latest period shows a clear upward trajectory in favorable outcomes.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Stroud'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 Stroud? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Jackson MS hearing office
The Jackson MS Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Mississippi, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a team of judges and support staff, the office processes thousands of hearings annually to determine your eligibility for federal benefits. The office-wide latest approval rate is 55%, which provides a baseline for the region. You can see the Jackson MS 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Jackson MS Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 40% to 91%. This variance highlights why your specific case evidence remains the most important factor in your hearing. You can view the Jackson MS Hearing Office page for more information on the local bench.
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.