Paul Burkhalter, NOSSCR President

A Change is Gonna Come

The following is a version of my comments from the NOSSCR DC Conference General Session.

I want to recognize a very special breed of hero—the kind who doesn’t wear a cape, but somehow battles bureaucracy, medical jargon, and endless government forms…all before lunch.

I’m talking about you, attorneys and representatives who help people win Social Security Disability benefits.

Let me share a short story that you know.

Just two months ago I was representing a claimant, I’ll call him,  Jacob. We had a live hearing in Paris. Paris, Texas, that is. A lot different than Paris, France, though they do both have an Eiffel tower, though the Texas one is only about 25 feet tall.

Back to Jacob. 48 years old. He keeps care of his mentally challenged adult brother. Jacob formerly worked at a warehouse until he developed avascular necrosis of his hip. But what I remember is not that an ALJ said she would award Jacob benefits, but rather what Jacob said in response.

Of course, he thanked the judge. But then he said something that caught me by surprise:

                “I’ve never won anything in my life.”

And the striking part is that what he said is likely true.

If you grow up without anything: you’re not going to be able to even win the cake walk at the school carnival; you’re not going to win bingo at church; you’re not going to win a free hamburger at Whataburger.

We live lives of privilege. Maybe sometimes just small privilege, sometimes great privilege. But I think we all have the privilege of hope. The idea that things can be better.

And we have the opportunity to bring hope to others; others that have no hope.

Let’s be honest: navigating the SSA system is like trying to do your taxes while blindfolded, underwater, and being circled by sharks. For someone dealing with a disability, it can feel nearly impossible.

And that is where you come in—armed with case law, armed with regulations, with determination, and with the remarkable ability to find that one medical record buried on page 742. You are part legal warrior, part social worker, and part detective…with a dash of therapist thrown in for good measure.

You listen when others don’t. You fight when others give up. You bring hope when hope has been lost. And most impressively, you know how to speak to SSA without screaming (unless you really have to).

That, my friends, is a superpower.

So, to each of you out there helping clients, not just survive, but win the benefits they deserve—you are the unsung heroes. You are the paperwork whisperers. Your are the calm in the bureaucratic storm.

You are seen, and if no one has told you lately, you are doing truly life changing work – and that is why you are part of this great organization.

Finally, it is completely natural to feel uncertain when political tides change. But let me reassure you – this community is resilient. We have weathered changes before, and we will again.

What has not changed is our commitment to our clients, our legal expertise, our ability to adapt, and our ability to advocate.

We are not powerless; we are professionals, and together, we are prepared for whatever comes next.

Let us have hope and let us bring hope to our clients.