As part of NOSSCR’s ongoing government relations advocacy, we have encouraged Senators to take seriously the ongoing significant delays caused by SSA’s insistent reliance on archaic signature requirements. Here, Senators Bob Casey and Mike Braun urge then-acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi to provide answers for why SSA is failing to take the steps necessary to modernize their…

On Wednesday, December 20, 2023, former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley was sworn in as the new Commissioner of Social Security. You can read the full press release, here. NOSSCR looks forward to working with the new Commissioner and is optimistic about what we can accomplish together.

We hope to see you in Nashville! Early bird registration is now open for NOSSCR’s 2024 Annual Conference, held May 8-11. Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect in May: Conference check-in will be available at your convenience. We will be one floor above the lobby. Starting at 8:30 am on Wednesday, we…

NOSSCR remains committed to improving the Social Security disability process so that our members can better serve those who need their services. To that end, we are excited to announce the formation of two new work groups that will help strategize and implement meaningful solutions to some of the agency’s longstanding issues. The first is…

By now, most of us know the DOT was last updated in 1991 and even its author, the Department of Labor, has long abandoned its use. Since at least 2011, SSA has known that some of the jobs identified in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) are obsolete. To date, SSA has refused to admit…

As claimants’ representatives, we are all tired of our representation forms going “missing” at SSA field offices, despite having sent them sometimes three, four or five times in a combination of different formats. We are tired of phone calls to field offices ending with the line going dead after being on hold for forty-five minutes…

In an effort to arm our members with as much data as possible, NOSSCR submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the updated payment rates for vocational and medical experts who appear before Social Security. You can review the results of that request below.

SSA has announced that the assessment rate on direct payment of fees to representatives will remain at 6.3 percent for 2024. The Social Security Act requires the agency to annually set the assessment percentage rate at the lesser of 6.3 percent “or the percent necessary to achieve full recovery of the costs we incur to…

On December 7, 2023, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced S. 3400, the We Can’t Wait Act. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance for further action. Bill Summary: S. 3400 would amend Title II of the Social Security Act to allow individuals with disabilities to voluntarily elect…

SSA’s Office of Retirement and Disability Policy has released the following statistical information:

NOSSCR extends our gratitude to all those who have contributed to the NOSSCR PAC in support of our mission in 2023 and beyond.

The U.S. Supreme Court received some 60 Petitions for Writ of Certiorari in Social Security cases in 2023. The Court dismissed many and summarily rejected others. At least one case of interest is still under consideration. The Supreme Court may decide whether to grant certiorari as early as January 5, 2024. The U.S. Supreme Court…

Social Security has released the 2023 data for the rate of representation at the initial claim, reconsideration, and hearing levels. The percentage of claimants who are represented has declined overall, with the most significant decrease occurring at the hearing stage. As our members are acutely aware, representation at every stage of the process is crucial…

NOSSCR is pleased to provide this chart to our members with the direct contact information for all of SSA’s Field Offices.

NOSSCR is currently seeking applications for the following roles. Litigation Associate The National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) is a 501(c)(6) specialized bar association made up of thousands of attorneys and advocates who represent Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income claimants throughout the adjudicative process. Since 1979, NOSSCR has been providing…

Resource URL Latest Caseload Analysis Report (CAR) for the month of November 2023 https://www.ssa.gov/foia/resources/proactivedisclosure/2023/CAR%20November%202023.pdf ALJ Disposition Data https://www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/03_ALJ_Disposition_Data.html Contact Information for the Regional Communications Directors (RCDs) https://www.ssa.gov/agency/rcds.html OR https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/ HALLEX Contents & Recent Changes https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/hallex/hallex.html POMS Recent Changes https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/reference.nsf/instructiontypecode!openview&restricttocategory=POMT Emergency Messages (EMs) https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/reference.nsf/instructiontypecode!openview&restricttocategory=EM Chief Judge Bulletins (CJBs) https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/reference.nsf/instructiontypecode!openview&restricttocategory=CJB FOIA Reading Room – Proactive Disclosures https://www.ssa.gov/foia/readingroom.html…