Program Description

Understand the Procedures and Strategies for Effective Disability Claimant Representation

Get everything you’ll need to succeed in a disability claim with an insightful overview of the laws, definitions, procedures, and tactics involved in researching and proving impairments. Experienced attorney faculty will walk you through the major steps of the claim procedure and share their methods for selecting cases, presenting them with the SSA and coordinating SSDI with claimants’ other sources of income. Build a solid foundation for your practice – register today!

  • Get the foundational knowledge you’ll need to effectively pursue Social Security Disability claims.
  • Hear first-hand about Administrative Law Judges’ pet peeves and preferences – and improve your hearing tactics.
  • Verify all actions taken in the claim before it came to you to eliminate devastating surprises later.
  • Understand how disability is defined and measured in SSDI and workers’ compensation claims.
  • Find out what sources of proof work best in specific physical impairment claims.
  • Can someone fake a personality assessment test – for the good or for the bad? Find out what safeguards are built in and how you can best use the assessment results.
  • Understand the tangled relationship of SSDIB and Workers’ Compensation to properly coordinate benefits.
  • Know how to ethically address misconduct by clients and representatives.
  • Hear seasoned attorneys share their tips for establishing and collecting attorneys’ fees.
  • Recognize when the claim is worth taking to Federal District Court and what arguments carry the most weight there.

Who Should Attend

This basic-to-intermediate level seminar offers attorneys a fast-paced overview of Social Security Disability practice. It will also benefit:

  • Social Security Disability Representatives
  • Government Benefits Coordinators
  • Paralegals
  • Social Workers

Course Content

  1. Overview of the Law, Operating Terms and Procedure
  2. First Steps and the Search for Claim-Supporting Evidence
  3. Mental Impairment Claims
  4. Effective Hearing Tactics – What Administrative Law Judges Want You to Know
  5. Strategies for the Appeals Council and Federal District Court
  6. Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls
  7. Handling Changes in Benefits
  8. Coordinating SSDI with Workers’ Comp and Other Benefits and Income Sources
  9. Attorneys’ Fees – Sources and Methods of Recovery

Continuing Education Credits:

Certification of Disability Management Specialists – CDMS: 6.50
Certified Case Manager – CCMC: 6.50
Certified Rehabilitation Counselor – CRCC: 6.50
Continuing Legal Education – CLE: 6.50
* denotes specialty credits