Approval rates
Judge Volz has presided over 25,765 lifetime decisions during his 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate reached 82%, which sits 17 percentage points above the New Orleans office average and 12 points above the national average. This data provides a statistical look at his history, though aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than 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 Volz III'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
The approval trend for Judge Volz has shifted over his 10 years on the bench. After maintaining a steady approval rate between 61% and 63% from 2016 through 2019, the data shows an increase starting in 2020. This upward trend has remained consistent, with recent years showing approval rates consistently above 80%. This pattern reflects a stable approach to case evaluation in the current period.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Volz III'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 Volz III? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the New Orleans hearing office
The New Orleans Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Louisiana. With an office-wide approval rate that often trends below the national average, you should ensure your medical records and vocational history are thoroughly documented. You can see the New Orleans 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. Across the New Orleans office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 36% to 70%. Regardless of which judge is assigned to your case, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain the same. You can view the New Orleans 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.