Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. While Paul Wood has a 38% approval rate since 2016, his latest reporting period shows a 41% approval rate. This latest-period figure sits 2 percentage points below the Little Rock office average of 43%, 6 points below the Arkansas state average of 47%, and 17 points below the national average of 58%.
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
Paul Wood has issued 3,402 decisions since 2016. His approval rate has fluctuated over the years, with the latest reporting period showing a 41% approval rate.
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.
About the Little Rock hearing office
The Little Rock Hearing Office is the most recent office on record for 16 judges. The office-wide latest-period approval rate is 43%.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Little Rock
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 16 judges whose most recent office on record is the Little Rock Hearing Office. Approval rates for this bench range from 27% to 66% on their records since 2016.
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
Paul Wood's 38% approval rate since 2016 falls within the 27% to 66% range observed among the 16 judges whose most recent office on record is the Little Rock Hearing Office. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific expectations of this bench.
Yes, the approval rate for Paul Wood has fluctuated over the years, ranging from a low of 31% in 2021 to 41% in the most recent fiscal year to date. An attorney can help you understand how these patterns might relate to your specific medical evidence.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. Because you cannot choose your judge, working with an attorney is the best way to ensure your case is prepared for any outcome.
An approval rate is a probability based on past decisions, not a prediction for your specific hearing. While Paul Wood has approved 38% of cases since 2016, your individual outcome depends primarily on the medical evidence and testimony you provide. An attorney can help you build a stronger case regardless of the judge's historical rate.
