I am often asked, what is the number one thing that a disability representative can do to increase their political influence on Capitol Hill? Without a doubt, the best thing to do to increase your political influence is to develop personal relationships with your Members of Congress and other elected leaders in your community. I realize that this may initially...

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) field offices reopened to the public on April 7, 2022 after more than two years of near-total closures. People who need to interact with SSA now have another means of doing so, in addition to the existing telephone, internet, and fax options. Reopening field offices will be helpful to many people, but the agency still...

Angela Sutton was shot by a relative at age 14 in Germantown. Now 42 and living in Northeast Philadelphia with her two children, ages 21 and 15, Sutton has been unable to work because of disabilities caused by post-traumatic stress, as well as pain from a bullet still lodged in her groin. Lately, a virus has diminished the vision in...

NOSSCR's Director of Policy and Administrative Advocacy Stacy Cloyd has just learned that as of the end of February there were 1,010,764 claims pending at Disability Determination Services (DDSs) across the country. DDSs are the agencies in each state that determines the disability status of claimants for the Social Security Administration (SSA). The cases pending are both at the initial...

If you need help filing for Social Security, Medicare or disability benefits, I have good news and bad news. The good news: The sprawling network of more than 1,200 Social Security field offices around the United States will reopen to the public in early April after a two-year COVID-19 shutdown. During that time, nearly all public service has been available...

It's possible that more than half of covid survivors experience lingering symptoms for at least half a year after their initial infection. The impact ranges in severity and for some sufferers the experience is truly devastating. NOSSCR truly understands the impacts of long-term disabilities and is proud to endorse the CARE for Long COVID Act, legislation to help people living with...

Starting in early April, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will add more in-person appointments and offer in-person service for people without an appointment. During the pandemic, millions of people used my SSA, a secure and convenient online service portal, and received help by phone and in offices by appointment. SSA recommends that people continue to first try to access services...

When Frances Perkins was nominated by President Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933 to be the Secretary of Labor, she presented him with a list of programs for which she intended to fight: the 40-hour week, minimum wage, workers compensation, unemployment insurance, Social Security, a federal ban on child labor, and health insurance. “Nothing like this has ever been done in the...

Our dedicated Government Affairs team has been hard at work advocating for the Work Without Worry Act (H.R. 4003 & S. 2108).  This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would ensure that all disabled adult children (DAC) would be able to explore their ability to work without risking their future DAC benefits. For context, an adult who lives with a severe disability that...

This Presidents' Day, we honor the nuance and complexity within our history and leaders. While many people know that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) spearheaded and oversaw the passage of the Social Security Act of 1935, fewer realize that the concept was brought to America by his cousin, President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, in the early 1900s. National Progressive Convention...