Approval rates
Judge Timmins maintains a lifetime approval rate of 47%, which sits 8 percentage points below the Albuquerque office average and 11 points below the national average. These figures are derived from 3,507 lifetime decisions. Comparing these rates to regional and national benchmarks helps you understand the broader context of your 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 Timmins'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 three years on the bench, Judge Timmins has navigated a significant volume of cases. The yearly trend shows an approval rate of 62% in 2023, 44% in 2024, and 49% in 2025. This pattern reflects the judge's evolving caseload and decision-making approach since joining the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Timmins'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 Timmins? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Albuquerque hearing office
The Albuquerque Hearing Office serves you throughout New Mexico, managing a high volume of disability cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 55%. You can visit the Albuquerque Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Timmins is random. Across the Albuquerque office, the 6 ALJs have lifetime approval rates ranging from 41% to 61%. The fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain constant regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
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.