Approval rates
Judge Wood maintains a lifetime approval rate of 37% based on 17,985 lifetime decisions. During the most recent reporting period, his 37% approval rate compares to the Little Rock office average of 41% and a national average of 58%. This data provides a statistical look at how cases have been decided in his courtroom over the last decade. 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 his 10 years on the bench, Judge Wood has seen his approval rate fluctuate. After reaching a low of 30% in 2021, his annual approval rates have trended upward, reaching 41% in 2024 and 39% in 2025. This pattern suggests a shift in his recent decision-making compared to his mid-tenure period. The latest period reflects a continuation of this more recent, steady pattern.
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? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Little Rock hearing office
The Little Rock Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Arkansas and parts of the surrounding region. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 41%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Little Rock Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Little Rock office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 27% to 52%. Because of this variance, it is important to understand the landscape of the office where your hearing will occur. You can find more information on the Little Rock Hearing Office page.
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.