Approval rates
Judge Warner maintains an approval rate that consistently exceeds both the Salt Lake City office average and the national benchmark. In the most recent reporting period, the judge approved 84% of cases, compared to the 54% office-wide average and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 4,374 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting the outcome of 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 Warner'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 Warner has maintained a high approval frequency. After an initial 92% approval rate in 2023, the rate was 83% in 2024 and 86% in 2025. This trend indicates a stable approach to case evaluation that remains above regional and national norms. The recent data reflects a consistent pattern of decision-making throughout the judge's tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Warner'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.
Have a hearing with Judge Warner? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Salt Lake City hearing office
The Salt Lake City Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Utah and surrounding regions, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office handles a diverse range of medical and vocational evidence. The latest office-wide approval rate is 54%, which provides a baseline for the local hearing environment. You can visit the Salt Lake City Hearing Office page for more information on the local 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 Salt Lake City office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 28% to 85%. Because each judge has a unique approach to evidence, understanding the office-wide landscape is helpful for your preparation.
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.