Approval rates
The approval rate for Major Williams Jr. is based on 1,875 decisions recorded between 2016 and 2022. This figure provides a statistical look at his past activity within the Social Security Administration system.
Judge Williams Jr. is not in SSA's latest disposition file, so there is no 12-month figure. The most recent period with decisions on record is September 30, 2022. Those rows are left out rather than estimated.
Judge Williams Jr. isn't in SSA's latest disposition file, so the judge comparison tool, which compares active judges over the same 12 months, leaves them out.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Williams Jr.'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
Major Williams Jr. decided 1,875 cases between 2016 and 2022. His approval rate showed fluctuation over this period, starting at 82% in 2016, reaching 88% in 2018, and moving to 83% in 2022. The yearly trend reflects these shifts across his total volume of decisions.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Williams Jr.'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.
About the Oakland hearing office
The Oakland hearing office is the most recent office on record for Major Williams Jr. as of September 2022. There are 16 judges whose most recent office on record is this location.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Oakland
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases. Among the 16 judges whose most recent office on record is Oakland, the 6 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file range from 48% to 72% on their since-2016 records.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Major Williams Jr. has an 84% approval rate on his record since 2016. In comparison, the 6 judges at the Oakland office who appear in the latest SSA file have approval rates ranging from 48% to 72% on their records since 2016. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific bench you are assigned.
Major Williams Jr. saw his approval rate fluctuate between 80% and 88% during his time on record from 2016 through 2022. While these yearly variations exist, the overall rate remains 84% across his 1,875 total decisions. An attorney can help you understand how these past trends might relate to your upcoming hearing.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
An approval rate is a reflection of past decisions and is not a prediction of how any specific case will be decided. Your outcome depends primarily on the medical evidence and documentation you provide to support your claim. An attorney can help you organize this evidence to ensure your case is presented effectively.
