Across the country, Social Security field offices are increasingly issuing improper SSI denials and suspensions, often due to misunderstandings about Special Needs Trusts, ABLE accounts, and other financial planning tools used to preserve eligibility. Many of these errors stem from inconsistent training, misapplication of policies, or the influx of new SSA staff unfamiliar with complex trust rules. This session will equip special needs planners with the knowledge and practical tools to identify, challenge, and reverse these financial denials. This session also describes how attorneys and planners can charge for representation in SSA appeals, including strategies for billing under the Equal Access to Justice Act, trust-based compensation, or direct pay arrangements. 10:45 a.m.–noon When SSA Gets It Wrong: Challenging Social Security Denials Across the country, Social Security field offices are increasingly issuing improper SSI denials and suspensions, often due to misunderstandings about Special Needs Trusts, ABLE accounts, and other financial planning tools used to preserve eligibility. Many of these errors stem from inconsistent training, misapplication of policies, or the influx of new SSA staff unfamiliar with complex trust rules. This session will equip special needs planners with the knowledge and practical tools to identify, challenge, and reverse these financial denials. This session also describes how attorneys and planners can charge for representation in SSA appeals, including strategies for billing under the Equal Access to Justice Act, trust-based compensation, or direct pay arrangements. Participants will leave with model appeal strategies, sample briefing language, and a better understanding of both how to protect clients from benefit interruptions and how to get paid for the valuable advocacy work involved in correcting SSA’s financial mistakes.