Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to regional and national benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Withum maintains a 42% lifetime approval rate, which tracks 9 points below the NHC Falls Church office average and 16 points below the national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 2,626 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of past judicial activity. 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 Withum'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 1 year on the bench, Judge Withum has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. With 2,626 lifetime decisions recorded, the data shows a steady pattern in how evidence is evaluated. Understanding this consistency helps you prepare a case that directly addresses the judge's typical requirements.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Withum'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 Withum? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nhc Falls Church hearing office
The NHC Falls Church hearing office serves you throughout the Virginia region, managing a high volume of disability hearings annually. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 51%, reflecting the broader judicial environment in which Judge Withum operates. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the NHC Falls Church Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, making the specific judge you are assigned essentially random. At the NHC Falls Church hearing office, the bench consists of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 42% to 69%. Because of this variance, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains the same 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.