The Job Is to Shed Light, Not to Master [There Is No Point Unless You Make It] – NOSSCR 2026 Fall National Conference – Track II (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Tell It Until "Things We've Never Seen Will Seem Familiar"

The job is to shed light, not to master. A claimant's testimony persuades not by covering everything but by returning to what matters: thematic circularity, built from the medical and earnings records, shaping a narrative that balances passion and practicality with case development.

The repetition is the strategy. Proper storytelling illustrates favorable interpretations and positive evidentiary recurrences for the ALJ — over and over, until things the ALJ has never seen begin to seem familiar. And because the client carries the risk, the argument options matter: some carry far less risk for the claimant than others.

You walk out with the storyteller's toolkit: the argument options with the least element of risk, practice in storytelling according to the SSR 16-3p factors, and experience choosing when and how to take advantage of the opportunities that only happen in the hearing room at Steps 1–5.

Eligible for up to 1 CLE Credit Hour

This session was originally submitted for CLE as a live, in-person presentation and a live webcast for the 2026 Fall National Conference and may be eligible for self-study credit. Each state handles self-study credit differently; for questions, please consult your State Bar Association.

Recorded Friday, October 16, 2026.

Key topics to be discussed:

• Thematic Circularity
  Building testimony that returns to its themes, constructed from the medical and earnings records.
• Passion and Practicality
  Shaping a narrative that balances both, integrated with case development.
• Storytelling for the ALJ
  Illustrating favorable interpretations and positive evidentiary recurrences, over and over, until the unfamiliar seems familiar.
• Least-Risk Argument Options
  Choosing the argument options that carry the least element of risk for your client.
• The SSR 16-3p Factors
  Practicing story-telling structured around the SSR 16-3p factors.
• Hearing-Room Opportunities
  When and how to take advantage of the openings that only happen in the hearing room at Steps 1–5.

This course is co-sponsored with myLawCLE.

Date / Time: October 14, 2026

• 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern
• 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Central
• 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Mountain
• 10:30 am – 11:30 pm Pacific

Closed-captioning available