Where to Begin… – NOSSCR 2026 Fall National Conference – Track II (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Social Security disability practice greets a beginner with an alphabet of its own — terminology, agencies, and a process with rules at every stage. This session is directed at exactly that beginner: the representative not yet familiar with SSA terminology or the resources available for research and help.

The session builds in three moves. First, familiarize yourself with SSA disability and the process — the foundation everything else sits on. Second, learn to get creative to build a case, because the file rarely arrives ready-made. Third, learn to deal with the people the practice runs through: clients, DDS, SSA, ALJs, and VEs, each requiring its own approach.

You walk out oriented: the terminology and resources mapped, a creative approach to case-building started, and a working sense of how to handle every party across the process.