This page outlines how NOSSCR members can enroll in our Referral Service.

Are you a claimant looking for representation? Please call our automated Referral Service at (845) 682-1881.

About the Referral Service

The NOSSCR Referral Service is authorized by statute.

NOSSCR’s Referral Service has operated for more than 30 years, and it was created to serve the statutory and regulatory requirements that SSA must provide referral service options for obtaining a representative to those claimants who receive an unfavorable decision. We refer claimants who call us. SSA’s offices and staff give unrepresented claimants NOSSCR’s Referral Service phone number.

We do not participate in “lead generation” and are not exposed to TCPA, TSR, DNC legal, and state-bar ethics problems. We prioritize structures that increase representation, and revenue supports NOSSCR’s mission. NOSSCR provides leading education and conference benefits to members. Our advocacy in the media, on Capitol Hill, and directly with SSA’s leadership has created and defended a specialized area of advocacy—including increases in fees, digital access to information, and more. Your participation in NOSSCR’s Referral Service supports this work.

Call Screening and Warm Transfer Process:

  1. Our trained staff screens all incoming calls to determine the caller’s legal needs and eligibility for a referral. Our questions are designed to find the right representative the first time, reducing frustration for the callers and increasing conversion rates for those in private practice who register in the hope of signing fee-generating claims.
  2. Eligible callers will be warm-transferred directly to you. This means our staff will introduce the caller before transferring.
  3. You’ll receive a bill from our billing contractor, a nonprofit called Disability Equality. Although we can arrange multiple payment methods, most payments can be made easily using Wave, our invoicing platform. The invoices will cover the total number of calls transferred.

Transfer cost:

  • SSDI/SSI cases (0-29): $30 per warm transfer.
  • SSDI/SSI cases (age 30-44): $50 per warm transfer.
  • SSDI/SSI cases (age 45+): $110 per warm transfer.
  • Appeals Council and Federal Court level: $20 per warm transfer.

FAQs

What should I expect?
We use several systems to ensure a quality experience for both callers and NOSSCR members, including Communicare Call Solutions as our contact center, 8×8 phone systems, Disability Equality for invoicing and quality control, and Wave for the online billing platform. We may update which contractors we engage with over time and will always prioritize quality service, data security, and legal compliance. If you have any questions about how these various services are connected, let us know.

What is the experience of a caller?
Calls are answered live by experienced and trained staff. We strive to find help for every caller, including help from nonprofits. We’re excited that this new structure provides much more help to those who call us seeking a referral.

Can I take cases local to my office?
Yes! We’ve worked hard to create a method to distribute calls according to your preferred zip code. This lets you focus your practice near your office or a specific hearing site. We hope you’ll sign up for as narrow or broad a geographic area as your practice serves. We know some prefer to cover entire regions, while others stay more local–and that’s why we’re now sorting callers by zip code.

Are the calls recorded?
Yes, with consent.

Do you use auto-dialers?
No.

When can I start?
We will go live on April 1, 2025.

How do you help callers with overpayments, CDRs, and other issues that may not generate a fee?
The same way we always have–our members! If you are willing to assist on cases that may not generate a fee, please complete this form https://airtable.com/appDOjG9u3pGEojNs/pag9egppL62qDlJnp/form so we can transfer as many or as few claimants as you can help. We will always work to balance the availability of referrals in a way that matches your NOSSCR membership, because NOSSCR is an individual-membership nonprofit.

What’s the refund policy?
We understand that not every referral will result in a client relationship, as representatives must apply their own professional judgment and screening criteria to each potential case. Our staff is trained to screen callers and make appropriate determinations about potential eligibility for SSDI or SSI benefits (including making sure the caller isn’t represented and has a pending claim)—but we must leave it to you to determine if your services are appropriate. Therefore, to ensure the sustainability of our non-profit mission and the efficient operation of our service, all fees are non-refundable once a warm transfer to a participating member has been completed. In other words, the pricing includes an assumption that not every referral will be accepted–although we hope you help as many callers as you can. As a nonprofit organization, our resources are limited. Processing refunds would significantly strain our staff bandwidth. The referral fee covers the cost of our intake process and the technology infrastructure used to connect callers with representatives.

The Value of Speaking to the Caller
We believe those who call NOSSCR seeking help deserve high quality and personal service. That’s one of the reasons we’ve moved to live-answering the calls, and then a “warm” handoff to your number. The claimants who call NOSSCR can trust that we aren’t putting them through phone trees or frustrating automated systems.

What are the various companies that are involved?
NOSSCR itself focuses staff on advocacy, conferences, continuing education, and other direct member services. The referral service was historically a sideline effort, and then an automated system. Neither method worked to maximize representation, and so NOSSCR has spent the last year vetting various providers to establish this new referral method with a contact center and better services to both the callers and the NOSSCR members participating. We’re using Wave for credit card processing and other invoicing, which minimizes fees and maintains your financial data securely. We’ve set up a telephone system using 8×8—an industry leader for custom solutions with minimal downtime. We’re partnering with a nonprofit Disability Equality, which was established to manage the quality of the contact center while expanding the ways we help callers beyond just new disability claims—to include overpayments, work incentives such as Ticket to Work, or other appropriate legal matters.

Transparency
NOSSCR believes in transparency. If you’d like to see any documentation, just let us know. We’re proud of this new structure, which, in testing, has more than doubled the number of callers who find professional help. Please feel free to let us know if it works for your practice!

How do I get started?
Complete this form https://airtable.com/appmyzgPIXoYuLzuQ/pag9egppL62qDlJnp/form with your preferences, and we will prepare a contract for signature.