Cross-Examining the Medical Expert – NOSSCR 2026 Fall National Conference – Track I (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

The medical expert’s RFC can sink a case — but an unhelpful RFC is a starting point, not a verdict. Jacob’s practical advice is aimed at exactly this: flipping an unhelpful RFC into a potentially disabling one, through cross-examination that is built before the hearing ever starts.

The key is preparation, in three parts. Prepare the file, so the cross has its foundation. Research your witness, so you know who you are questioning. Practice leading questions, so the examination goes where you send it. Walk in without the three, and the RFC stands as written.

The session also covers the reports that arrive unhelpful before the hearing: what you can do with an unhelpful IMCE or Psyche CE report. You walk out with a practical method for the medical-expert cross — file, witness, questions — and a plan for the bad report.