Jennifer Cronenberg, Interim CEO

Here at NOSSCR, we’re still buzzing from the excitement of last week! Being together in Baltimore with so many of our members was truly a privilege. The energy, curiosity, and engagement that you brought was palpable, and we were thrilled to provide a space for you to learn, grow, and connect.

I’ve often said that one of my favorite things about NOSSCR is our commitment to providing ongoing education and quality trainings that our members can immediately put into practice – I’m proud to say that we delivered on this commitment. This conference saw our largest and most diverse slate of speakers ever. From newcomers to stalwarts of the NOSSCR stage, our content covered the basics proving disability at all levels, took deep dives into nuanced vocational matters, previewed AI tools that are certain to shape the future of our profession, and deepened our understanding of post-entitlement issues. Our workshops offered the opportunity for roundtable discussions on a variety of topics including how to become Board-certified in Social Security, what do to when unexpected issues arise at an ALJ hearing, how to best utilize ABLE accounts, and how to increase law firm productivity.

Our General Session brought a chance to hear directly from Commissioner Bisignano and Chief of Disability Adjudication Jay Ortis about the steps the agency is taking to address NOSSCR members’ concerns. As those in attendance witnessed, we asked the Commissioner and Judge Jay directly about the agency’s plans to digitize the endless forms that are currently required as part of the disability process, about their use of AI in decision-making, and about their plans to continue simplification of the SSI application. We called their attention to the inefficiencies caused by representatives’ inability to see the “status” provided to claimants on their mySocialSecurity account, we highlighted the immediate need for seeing wage report data earlier in the disability process and for digitally accessing the notice of award at the end of the claim, and we inquired about the possibility of moving additional application types online (like disabled widows and disabled adult children). The Commissioner and Judge Jay both responded thoughtfully to our questions and spoke about the agency’s current efforts to streamline the disability process while enhancing representatives’ access so that we can more effectively assist in the process. They both acknowledged that the role we play as representatives is crucial to the success of the disability program.

But it wasn’t all business! We gathered together with our fellow Circuit members to discuss local issues (and, as is tradition, the 7^th Circuit impressed with their Happy Hour spread), we had a thrilling President’s Reception where our lucky Bingo by Benny winners were announced (with style, by NOSSCR member Freddie Effinger), and our NextGen members snuck out for some local culture (thanks to the generosity of Benny).  

The week ended with a field trip to Social Security Headquarters where attendees received a detailed presentation from multiple SSA department heads about the improvements that are being made, including updates on the agency’s efforts to expand access to digital medical records, their forthcoming solutions for the processing of certain concurrent claims, their progress on reducing the pending case load, and their improvement to the efficacy of the Representative Call Center. SSA’s leadership generously fielded questions from our members, including inquiries about attorneys’ fees and post-entitlement issues, and we collectively engaged in a robust conversation about how to increase engagement with the Ticket to Work program. After the presentation, the agency opened the SSA History Museum just for our group, where we were treated to a tour from the agency’s chief museum docent, who dazzled us with endless fun facts – did you know there was once a Social Security board game? How about a series of comic books? And who could forget the SSA-themed radio shows starring Donna Fargo and her music? It was a thrilling capstone to an energizing week, we are grateful to those who were able to join us, and we are especially thankful to Atticus for providing our transportation.

If you were with us in person, we hope that you enjoyed your experience and have several tips and tricks you can put into practice right away. Now that you’ve had a couple of days to catch up on your inbox, we hope you’ll reach out to that new connection you made, or think more about the product that piqued your interest. Most importantly, we hope you’re inspired to come back for our next conference – and bring your colleagues with you! We’ll be gathering again from October 13-16, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah at the beautiful Grand America Hotel. We hope you’ll stay with us at the Grand America Hotel so that you don’t miss a moment of the action – we’re already busy planning new ways to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings! Registration is open – so lock in our best price today. And if Baltimore inspired you to take the stage, don’t miss your chance to be considered as a speaker for Salt Lake! Our speaker proposal window is open until May 31, 2026, so get those proposals in asap and help shape the conversation!

Whether you were with us in person, joined us online, or are looking ahead to the next chance you have to participate in one of our conferences, we are thankful for you, your membership, and your continued involvement in this great organization!

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