Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Worrall maintains a lifetime approval rate of 52%, which is evaluated against the latest Evansville Hearing Office average of 55% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 14,035 lifetime decisions, offering a look at historical trends.
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 Worrall'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 7 years on the bench, Judge Worrall has seen his approval rate fluctuate. Following a peak of 65% in 2017, the rate adjusted to 48% by 2022. This trend reflects the evolving nature of the cases assigned to his docket. The latest period shows a continuation of this steady pattern, suggesting a consistent approach to evidence evaluation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Worrall'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 Worrall? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Evansville hearing office
The Evansville Hearing Office serves a broad population across Indiana, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 55%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. See the Evansville Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Evansville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 57%. While these variations exist, the core requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms. You can find more information on the Evansville 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.