SSA Mechanics Boot Camp

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

8:00 a.m.- 8:10 a.m.

Welcome & Announcements
Professor Roberta Flowers

8:10 a.m.- 9:00 a.m.

Marketing and Practice Management: Practical Ideas
Emily Kile
In order to run your office and keep bringing in business, your office needs to run smoothly and you need practical marketing ideas.  Hear from a solo practitioner, not a marketing consultant.  This interactive session will provide you with easy to implement strategies for your practice.  Come with your own ideas to share with others—what worked and what did not!  There is no better teacher than our colleagues. 

9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.

The Nuts and Bolts of SSI and SSDI
Avram Sacks
This presentation focuses entirely on disability benefits under the Social Security Act, including: differences between Title II and Title XVI, definition of “disability,” who can get disability benefits, the five-step disability determination process, the application and appeals process, establishing a period of disability, continuing disability reviews, work incentives and trial work periods, termination of benefits, and subsequent entitlement.  Practical tips on how to file a claim, how to be appointed by your client as his/her representative before the Social Security Administration, and how to elicit the evidence needed to establish a winning claim will be provided.

9:50 a.m. - 10:05 a.m.

Break and Visit with Sponsors and Exhibitors
Sponsored by Special Needs Alliance

10:05 a.m. - 10:55 a.m.

How to Obtain EAJA Fees for Successful Representation of Social Security Disability Claimants in Federal Court
Suzette Sims
Under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d), a successful litigant in certain federal court actions against federal government agencies may obtain payment by the government of attorney fees and costs.  This presentation will outline the prerequisites for an award of attorney fees and costs in the context of representing Social Security Disability claimants in federal court.  It will review the procedural and substantive aspects of filing an EAJA motion, as well as the practical aspects of negotiating a stipulation regarding EAJA fees. 

10:55 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

A Guided Tour Through the POMS
Kenneth Brown
When reading the SSA POMS, did you ever feel like you were watching a foreign film and were not quite comfortable with the subtitles? Something lost in translation? This session will provide a curated tour through the POMS from their legal foundation, organization and acceptance by the courts to tips for navigation and updates to nuggets of policy. 

11:45 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.

Ten Steps to Drafting a Compliant Medicaid/SSI First Party Trust
Amanda Flood
You were contacted by a disabled individual to draft a first-party trust.  Do you know where to start, what to include, and how to notify the Social Security Administration and the state agency?  This presentation is for you.  I will provide ten steps to drafting a compliant Medicaid/SSI First-Party Trust that meets the exclusion and preserves continued benefits from SSA.