Approval rates
Judge Williams maintains a lifetime approval rate of 74%, which is higher than the 60% latest approval rate for the Nashville Hearing Office and the 58% national average. These statistics are derived from a docket of 8,945 lifetime decisions accumulated over 4 years on the bench. Comparing these figures helps you understand the broader context of your hearing, though aggregate rates describe past trends rather than individual outcomes.
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 Williams'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 a 4-year tenure, the approval rate for Judge Williams has remained consistent. Annual data shows a steady trend, with approval rates of 75% in 2016, 74% in 2017, 72% in 2018, and 76% in 2019. This stability suggests a predictable approach to evaluating evidence and disability claims.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Williams'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 Williams? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nashville hearing office
The Nashville (Tennessee) Hearing Office serves a large population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 60%. You can expect a formal process focused on the specific medical documentation supporting your claim. You can visit the Nashville (Tennessee) 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 Nashville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 48% to 74%. Because rates vary across the office, focus on the strength of your own medical evidence. 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.