Approval rates
Judge Taylor maintains a lifetime approval rate of 43% based on 15,153 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the judge's approval rate of 47% sits 9 points below the Savannah office average and 15 points below the national average. These figures provide a statistical look at historical trends within the courtroom, though they do not predict the outcome of 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 Taylor'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 a 9-year tenure, your judge's approval rate has shifted. After an initial 70% approval rate in 2017, the data shows a transition toward a more moderate range, with recent years hovering between 41% and 52%. The most recent data point of 52% reflects the evolving nature of the caseload and evidentiary requirements over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Taylor'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 Taylor? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Savannah hearing office
The Savannah Hearing Office serves you and other applicants across Georgia, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 52%. You should be prepared for a formal administrative process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Savannah 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 you cannot request a specific judge. The Savannah office features a bench with lifetime approval rates ranging from 37% to 73%. Because of this variance, the judge you are assigned can influence the procedural flow of your hearing. You can review the full office roster on the Savannah 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.