Approval rates
Judge Twilley maintains a lifetime approval rate of 60%, which provides a baseline for understanding her history in the Dayton Hearing Office. Compared to the latest reporting period, her performance shows a 10-point variance below the current office average of 70%, while remaining 4% above the state average. These figures are derived from 3,058 lifetime decisions. 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 Twilley'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 your 3 years on the bench, Judge Twilley has seen her approval rates transition from 75% in 2017 to 50% in 2019. This trend across her 3,058 lifetime decisions suggests a shift in the types of cases or evidence quality presented in her courtroom during that period. Such patterns are common as a judge settles into a docket and refines an evaluation process. The recent data reflects a departure from earlier, higher approval percentages.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Twilley'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 Twilley? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dayton hearing office
The Dayton Hearing Office serves a wide population across Ohio, managing a high volume of Social Security Disability Insurance claims. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 70%, this location is a critical hub for regional disability adjudication. You can expect a formal environment where medical documentation and vocational testimony are prioritized. You can visit the Dayton 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 assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Dayton Hearing Office, the bench exhibits a broad range of lifetime approval rates, spanning from 44% to 68% across the office's 6 judges. Because each judge approaches evidence differently, understanding the office-wide context is helpful. You can find more information on the Dayton 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.