Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance against current office and national benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Weaver's lifetime rate is 22% across 14,563 decisions. These figures reflect a significant volume of cases handled over a decade of service. 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 Weaver'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Weaver has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 22%. Yearly data shows fluctuations, with approval rates ranging from a low of 14% in 2021 to 30% in 2025. This variation highlights the importance of presenting a complete medical record, as recent activity shows a shift compared to her long-term average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Weaver'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 Weaver? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Atlanta North hearing office
The Atlanta North Hearing Office serves a large population across Georgia, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 ALJs, the office handles a diverse range of medical conditions and vocational profiles. You can see the Atlanta North 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 judge is selected randomly. At the Atlanta North Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 22% to 65%. This variance underscores why your specific evidence is the most important factor in your case. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.