Approval rates
Judge Tilley’s 64% lifetime approval rate is a key metric for understanding her history at the Charleston WV hearing office. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate outperformed the office average by 5 percentage points and the national average by 6 percentage points. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 14,361 lifetime decisions, providing a robust statistical baseline. 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 Tilley'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 her 8 years on the bench, Judge Tilley has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. Her approval rates rose from 48% in 2016 to a peak of 74% in 2019, followed by a period of stabilization between 60% and 66% in recent years. This trajectory suggests a judge who has refined her evidentiary requirements over time. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, indicating that her decision-making process has reached a mature and predictable state.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Tilley'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 Tilley? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charleston WV hearing office
The Charleston WV hearing office serves a diverse population across West Virginia, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active caseload that requires precise adherence to 20 CFR Part 404 regulations. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Charleston WV Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Charleston WV office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 39% to 79%. This variance highlights why understanding the specific tendencies of your assigned judge is a common part of hearing preparation. You can review the office-wide trends to better understand 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.