Approval rates
Judge Willy maintains a 54% lifetime approval rate across 20,675 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate sits 1% above the New Orleans office average, though it remains 4% below both state and national averages. These figures reflect historical trends rather than a set outcome for your case.
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 Willy'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 his 9-year tenure, Judge Willy has demonstrated a varied decision pattern. While his approval rate remained relatively steady between 2016 and 2020, the data shows a peak of 69% approval in 2022. Recent years show a return to a more moderate range, with a 62% approval rate in 2024. These fluctuations reflect the specific evidence presented in each case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Willy'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 Willy? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the New Orleans hearing office
The New Orleans Hearing Office serves a broad population across Louisiana, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 53%. You can expect a rigorous review process where the quality of your medical evidence is the primary driver of the outcome. You can visit the New Orleans 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 assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the New Orleans office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 36% to 70%. This variance highlights why understanding the local environment is important for your claim.
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.