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Building Social Security Disability Appeals That Survive Review – NOSSCR 2026 Fall National Conference – Track I (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Turn an unfavorable ALJ decision into a court-ready argument. Learn a practical drafting method that moves from the governing legal requirement through the agency’s specific error and the record proof exposing it, to harmless error and remedy — with a live demonstration on real decision text.

2026-10-16 10:30:00

1 hours

Program Details

2026-10-16 10:30:00

2026-10-16 10:30:00

1h CLE Credits

2026-10-16 10:30:00

1 hours

Program Details

2026-10-16 10:30:00

Program Details

2026-10-16 10:30:00

Over 1,000+ webinars

2026-10-16 10:30:00

1 hours

Course Overview

Answer Harmlessness Before the Commissioner Defines It for You

2026-10-16 10:30:00

Most unfavorable ALJ decisions don’t come with the argument attached — the drafting is where the appeal is won or lost. This session presents a practical drafting method for turning an unfavorable ALJ decision into a court-ready argument, built in sequence: the governing legal requirement, the agency’s specific error, the record proof that exposes it, then harmless error and the appropriate remedy.

Each step carries the next. Skip the governing requirement, and the error has no measure. Name the error without the record proof, and it doesn’t hold. Leave harmlessness unanswered, and the Commissioner defines it for you.

The method is applied to real decision text, with a live demonstration on a sample ALJ passage. The speaker draws on twenty-one years inside SSA and more than a decade representing claimants — and you walk out with a framework to use on your next federal SSD brief.

Format

CLE Credit

1h CLE Credits

Level

Intermediate

Length

1

Key topics that will be covered

01
The Drafting Method
A practical sequence for turning an unfavorable ALJ decision into a court-ready argument.
02
Requirement, Error, Proof
Moving from the governing legal requirement through the agency’s specific error to the record proof that exposes it.
03
Answering Harmlessness First
How to answer harmless error before the Commissioner defines it for you.
04
The Appropriate Remedy
Carrying the argument through to the remedy the error supports.
05
Real Decision Text
Applying the method to real decision text, with a live demonstration on a sample ALJ passage.
06
A Framework for Your Next Brief
A method — informed by twenty-one years inside SSA and a decade-plus representing claimants — ready for your next federal SSD brief.

Program schedule

clock 10:30 am - 11:30 am EST

Building Social Security Disability Appeals That Survive Review

Federal SSD appellate briefs succeed or fail on structural discipline. This session presents a six-element method — Requirement, Failure, Proof, Foreclosure, Harm, Remedy — for building federal-court arguments that address what the reviewing court must decide. The session applies the method to ALJ decision text, shows how to convert identified error into argument structure, and demonstrates how to draft the harmlessness sentence before the Commissioner defines harmlessness for you. Drawing on twenty-one years inside SSA and current and former claimant-side federal practice, the speaker gives attendees a practical framework for their next federal SSD brief.

 

Eligible for up to 1 CLE Credit Hour

 

This session was originally submitted for CLE as a live, in-person presentation and a live webcast for the 2026 Fall National Conference and may be eligible for self-study credit. Each state handles self-study credit differently; for questions, please consult your State Bar Association.

 

Recorded Friday, October 16, 2026.

Desmond GriswoldDesmond Griswold
Desmond Griswold

Desmond Griswold

Griswold Legal, LLC

Desmond Griswold

Desmond Griswold

Griswold Legal, LLC

Desmond Griswold is the principal of Griswold Legal, LLC, a Social Security disability practice in North Olmsted, Ohio.

Education & Credentials

He earned a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati (1987), an M.S. in Print Journalism from Northwestern (1988), and a J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (1993).

Experience

He served twenty-one years inside the Social Security Administration as an Attorney Advisor and Senior Attorney Advisor at the Cleveland Office of Hearings Operations (2004–2025), where he drafted, reviewed, and refined the kind of ALJ decisions that are the operative subject of federal SSD appellate review. He returned to claimant-side practice in February 2026.
Desmond Griswold

Desmond Griswold

Griswold Legal, LLC

Desmond Griswold is the principal of Griswold Legal, LLC, a Social Security disability practice in North Olmsted, Ohio.

Education & Credentials

He earned a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati (1987), an M.S. in Print Journalism from Northwestern (1988), and a J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (1993).

Experience

He served twenty-one years inside the Social Security Administration as an Attorney Advisor and Senior Attorney Advisor at the Cleveland Office of Hearings Operations (2004–2025), where he drafted, reviewed, and refined the kind of ALJ decisions that are the operative subject of federal SSD appellate review. He returned to claimant-side practice in February 2026.

Credits by state

AK1.0
AL1.0
AR1.0
AZ1.0
CA1.0
CO1.0
CT1.0
DC1.0
DE1.0
FL1.0
GA1.0
HI1.0
IA1.0
ID1.0
IL1.0
IN1.0
KS1.0
KY1.0
LA1.0
MA1.0
MD1.0
ME1.0
MI1.0
MN1.0
MO1.2
MS1.0
MT1.0
NC1.0
ND1.0
NE1.0
NH60.0
NJ1.0
NM1.0
NV1.0
NY1.0
OH1.0
OK1.0
OR1.0
PA1.0
RI1.0
SC1.0
SD1.0
TN1.0
TX1.0
UT1.0
VA1.0
VT1.0
WA1.0
WI1.0
WV1.2
WY1.0

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

10,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

MCLE Credits

Alabama
Approved
Alaska
Approved
Arizona
Approved
Arkansas
Approved
California
Approved
Colorado
Pending
Connecticut
Approved
Delaware
Pending
District of Columbia
No Required
Florida
Pending
Georgia
Pending
Hawaii
Approved
Idaho
Pending
Illinois
Pending
Indiana
Pending
Iowa
Pending
Kansas
Pending
Kentucky
Pending
Louisiana
Pending
Maine
Pending
Maryland
No Required
Massachusetts
No Required
Michigan
No Required
Minnesota
Pending
Mississippi
Pending
Missouri
Approved
Montana
Pending
Nebraska
Pending
Nevada
Approved
New Hampshire
Approved
New Jersey
Approved
New Mexico
Approved
New York
Approved
North Carolina
Pending
North Dakota
Approved
Ohio
Approved
Oklahoma
Pending
Oregon
Pending
Pennsylvania
Approved
Rhode Island
Pending
South Carolina
Pending
South Dakota
No Required
Tennessee
Approved
Texas
Approved
Utah
Pending
Vermont
Approved
Virginia
Not Eligible
Washington
Approved
West Virginia
Pending
Wisconsin
Pending
Wyoming
Pending

Alabama

Requirements

The Alabama State Bar MCLE Commission requires attorneys to complete 12 credits, including 1 ethics, by December 31 of each year. All credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year. A maximum of 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit, may be carried over for 1 year only.  

Formats

  • Attorneys can earn unlimited “live” credit through live seminars, live webcasts, and co-sponsored locations with MyLAWCLE-Alabama approved programs
  • Attorneys are limited to 6 credits per compliance period of “online” programs through MyLAwCLE On-Demand programs