To the Appeals Council and Beyond: Practical Advice After an ALJ Denial – 2026 Spring National Conference – Track I (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Joseph is a licensed attorney with deep specialization in Social Security appellate practice. His professional credentials are defined by over 13 years at the SSA Appeals Council, where he developed expertise in federal court litigation, appellate review, and the substantive legal standards that drive remand decisions across the SSA adjudication system. He also facilitated and developed training programs for Administrative Appeals Judges, managers, senior attorneys, and new attorneys at the agency. (Specific academic credentials are not included in the provided biography.)

Joseph received numerous awards for his work and training contributions during his tenure at the Social Security Administration. His recognition reflects both the quality of his analytical work on federal court litigation cases and his effectiveness as a trainer and educator within the agency. His role in facilitating and developing training for Administrative Appeals Judges, managers, and attorneys at multiple career levels placed him among the Appeals Council's most trusted institutional resources — a distinction that now informs the expertise he brings to his private practice clients.

During his time at the Appeals Council, Joseph was extensively involved in the training and development of SSA legal staff, facilitating and designing programs for new Administrative Appeals Judges, senior attorneys, managers, and incoming attorneys. This work established him as an educator and institutional leader within the agency well before he transitioned to private practice. Since founding his firm in 2023, he has remained engaged with the broader Social Security disability bar, sharing his unique perspective on the appellate process with practitioners seeking to understand how cases are viewed from the Appeals Council's vantage point.

Joseph spent more than 13 years at the SSA Appeals Council, where he primarily analyzed cases involved in federal court litigation. This specialized focus gave him an unusually complete understanding of the SSA appeals process — from how cases are reviewed internally to the specific substantive grounds on which courts remand decisions back to the agency. In 2023, he founded his own law firm to bring that expertise directly to claimants, focusing on securing remands from the Appeals Council and U.S. District Courts. His background on the agency side equips him with insights into the appellate review process that few claimants' attorneys possess, making him a distinctive and highly effective advocate at the most advanced stages of Social Security litigation.