Approval rates
Judge Wood maintains a lifetime approval rate of 42% based on 23,360 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the approval rate was 46%, which compares to the Peoria Hearing Office average of 56% and the national average of 58%. These figures reflect a significant volume of cases handled over a 10-year tenure. 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 Wood'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 decade on the bench, Judge Wood has seen fluctuations in approval patterns. The annual data shows a range of outcomes, with your potential approval rate moving between 31% and 49% during different periods. The most recent data indicates a return to 49% in 2025, suggesting a shift from the lower rates observed in 2022 and 2023. This trend reflects the evolving nature of the cases assigned to this bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Wood'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 Wood? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Peoria hearing office
The Peoria Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout Illinois and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of disability claims to ensure timely processing. The office currently maintains a latest approval rate of 56%, reflecting the broader regional trends in disability adjudication. You can visit the Peoria 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Peoria Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 42% to 67%. Because of this variance, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence. For preparation purposes, the guidance 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.