You don’t need a law degree to represent people before Social Security.

A study guide for people who want to represent Social Security disability claimants without becoming a lawyer.

What: Non-lawyer. You represent disability claimants. SSA pays you from backpay.
Money: Lesser of 25% or $9,200 per case. Piece-work, not a salary.
After: Pass, then join EDPNA Network. We introduce you to firms.

Buy the guide

01
What this is
An EDPNA is an Eligible for Direct Payment Non-Attorney representative. You represent people applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or SSI. If you qualify, SSA withholds your fee from the claimant’s past-due benefits and pays you the same way it pays attorneys. SSA runs the program.
Hearings take a long time. Claimants need someone who knows the file. Firms need people who can carry cases. You do not need a J.D. You do need to pass SSA’s exam and do the work.
02
Who it is for
Teachers, nurses, social workers, paralegals, claims people — anyone with a bachelor’s degree or four years of relevant experience who can study a federal exam and wait on cases.
Not for anyone who needs a paycheck next Friday. You get paid when the case pays. Cases take months. Some take years.
03
How the money works
An example, not a promise. 20 fee-agreement cases closed in a year at the $9,200 cap is $184,000 gross, before SSA’s assessment, insurance, and the time the cases took. Many cases pay less than the cap. Some pay nothing for a long time.
SSA does not publish an average salary. Under the fee-agreement process, the fee is the lesser of 25% of past-due benefits or $9,200, for favorable decisions on or after November 30, 2024. SSA, fee agreements.
04
How you become one
SSA decides. Not us.
1. A bachelor’s degree from a U.S. accredited school, or four years of relevant professional experience plus a diploma or GED.
2. Apply with Form SSA-1691 and pay the application fee.
3. Pass a criminal background check.
4. Pass SSA’s written examination on the Act, the regulations, and current policy.
5. Carry professional liability insurance SSA considers adequate.
6. Complete annual continuing education to stay eligible for direct pay.
05
The guide
One PDF, written to be studied. It covers:
1. What EDPNA means and who SSA will let sit
2. How the exam is structured
3. The work around a case — file, evidence, hearing
4. How fees actually arrive
It is not a law degree. It is not an SSA credential. It is not a job offer.
Buy the guide
06
After you pass
When you are eligible for direct pay, we introduce you to firms that need EDPNAs. That happens at edpnanetwork.com. We do not promise a placement.

What this is

Who it is for

How the money works

How you become one

The guide

After you pass