Approval rates
Understanding how a judge compares to their peers provides helpful context for your hearing. Judge White-Simmons has maintained a consistent presence in the Detroit office over her 10-year tenure. Her lifetime approval rate of 44% is measured against the latest office, state, and national averages to provide a clear picture of her decision-making history. These aggregate rates reflect past performance rather than predictions for your specific 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 White-Simmons'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 White-Simmons has presided over 20,779 lifetime decisions. Her approval rate has shown a notable upward shift in recent years, moving from 41% in 2016 to 52% in 2025. While her latest period approval rate of 53% is slightly lower than the office average, the trend indicates a steady increase in favorable outcomes compared to her earlier years. This pattern suggests that recent case outcomes have become more aligned with broader regional trends.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge White-Simmons'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 White-Simmons? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Detroit hearing office
The Detroit Hearing Office serves a large population across Michigan, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 56%. You can expect a review of your medical documentation and vocational history during your appearance. You can visit the Detroit 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 Detroit bench, lifetime approval rates for judges range from 43% to 75%. Because of this variance, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of which judge is assigned. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent regardless of the judge assigned to your file.
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.