Below is a brief Q&A with a member of NOSSCR’s Board of Directors, At-Large Representative Ted Norwood.

I am the Chief Legal Officer for Integrated Benefits, Inc. (IBI). We focus on helping people get public disability benefits while they also receive private disability benefits, usually through employers. I also have a separate practice for appealing cases to court and representing claimants without private disability insurance.

I graduated from St. Louis University (Go, Billikens!) and the University of Missouri-Columbia Law School. I live in St. Louis, MO with my wife, Robin, and our daughters Lucy (6) and Heidi (4).

What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

Although I mostly read children’s books, I really enjoyed God’s Shadow: The Ottoman Sultan Who Shaped the World by Alan Mikhail and What If: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe.

What’s your favorite hobby?

My favorite hobby is basketball, but as I get older, I’m transitioning to easier sports like racquetball and golf.

What type of food could you eat every day? 

I’ve never been tired of pizza at any point in my life. I’m open to pizza of all kinds, and the only common topping I don’t like is anchovies.

When you were a kid, did you want to be a lawyer when you grew up? If not, what did you want to be?

I knew I wanted to be a lawyer before I went to high school. Before that, I wanted to be a marine biologist.

What’s something special to you about NOSSCR or Social Security disability law? 

SSDI is special to me for my clients. I grew up benefitting from survivor benefits, and I really believe in the disability program. Disability can strike anyone, and it shouldn’t sentence them to poverty. It is a societal belief that isn’t always easy or cheap, but it is worthwhile for the individuals and beneficial for the economy overall.