Transferability of Skills: What Has Changed and Does it Still Matter? – 2026 Spring National Conference – Track I (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Nathan A. Craig, Esq., Owner & Attorney | Nathan A. Craig & Associates

Nate Craig has been a practicing Social Security Disability attorney for over 21 years. He owns and operates a small law firm in western Kentucky dedicated to helping clients receive the disability benefits they deserve and need. Beyond his legal practice, Nate is deeply engaged in his community — serving as the General Manager of the Hoptown Hoppers, a summer collegiate wooden-bat baseball team, and playing an active role in civic and governmental affairs in the Hopkinsville area. He is also deeply committed to his faith, currently serving as an Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States Southeast Area. He and his wife, Amy, have been called as Mission President and companion, with service beginning in July 2025.

Education & Credentials

• Nate Craig is a licensed attorney with over 21 years of dedicated practice in Social Security Disability law. He is the founder and owner of Nathan A. Craig & Associates, a firm in western Kentucky focused exclusively on helping individuals navigate the Social Security disability system. His two-decade-plus tenure in this specialized area of law reflects a depth of expertise built through thousands of client representations and a consistent commitment to the communities he serves in western Kentucky. (Specific academic credentials are not included in the provided biography.)

Recognition & Leadership

• Nate’s leadership extends well beyond the courtroom. He currently serves as an Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States Southeast Area — a significant ecclesiastical leadership role — and he and his wife Amy have been called to serve as Mission President beginning in July 2025. In the civic arena, he serves as General Manager of the Hoptown Hoppers, a summer collegiate wooden-bat baseball team, and is active in governmental affairs in western Kentucky. His multi-faceted leadership profile reflects a commitment to service in every sphere of his personal and professional life.

Professional Involvement

• Nate is actively involved in civic and governmental affairs in western Kentucky, bringing the same advocacy orientation that defines his legal practice to the broader community. As General Manager of the Hoptown Hoppers, he contributes to the cultural and recreational life of Hopkinsville and the surrounding region. His deep engagement in his faith community — including his current service as Area Seventy and his upcoming Mission Presidency — reflects the values of service and dedication that permeate both his personal and professional endeavors.

Experience

• Over more than two decades of practice, Nate Craig has built Nathan A. Craig & Associates into a trusted resource for disability claimants in western Kentucky. His firm’s singular focus on Social Security Disability law has allowed him to develop deep expertise in helping individuals navigate what is often an overwhelming and high-stakes process. His practice is rooted in a genuine commitment to the clients he serves and the community in which he lives — a community where he is known not only as an effective disability attorney but as a civic leader, faith leader, and engaged member of Hopkinsville’s civic life. He is the proud father of three daughters and resides in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Jaime Nobis, Esq., Attorney | Nathan A. Craig & Associates

Jaime Nobis is an attorney at Nathan A. Craig & Associates, where she focuses her practice in Social Security Disability law. A native of Southern Illinois, Jaime brought to the firm a background in public defense, having previously worked for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy. She resides in McCracken County, Kentucky, with her husband Ryan — a recently retired United States Army veteran — and their twin sons.

Education & Credentials

• Jaime Nobis is a licensed attorney whose career has been dedicated to public interest and disability law. Prior to joining Nathan A. Craig & Associates, she practiced at the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, where she developed her foundation in representing vulnerable individuals navigating complex legal systems. Her transition from public defense to Social Security Disability reflects a consistent commitment to advocating for those who most need effective legal representation. (Specific academic credentials are not included in the provided biography.)

Recognition & Leadership

• Jaime’s professional profile reflects a commitment to public service that has defined both her legal career and her personal life. Her background at the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy — an institution dedicated to representing individuals who cannot afford private counsel — speaks to the values that guide her practice. At Nathan A. Craig & Associates, she continues that tradition of service, focusing on Social Security Disability representation for clients in western Kentucky and the surrounding region.

Professional Involvement

• Jaime practices Social Security Disability law at Nathan A. Craig & Associates, contributing to the firm’s mission of helping western Kentucky clients secure the disability benefits they need. Her prior experience at the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy gives her a strong foundation in the representation of low-income and vulnerable individuals — experience that translates directly to effective advocacy on behalf of disability claimants. She is rooted in the McCracken County community and brings a personal understanding of the lives of working families and veterans’ households to her legal work.

Experience

• Jaime’s legal career began at the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, where she represented individuals in public defense matters and developed the advocacy skills she now applies in Social Security Disability practice. She subsequently joined Nathan A. Craig & Associates, where she focuses exclusively on helping clients navigate the Social Security disability system. Her background in public interest law, combined with her personal ties to the region as a McCracken County resident and member of a military family, gives her a grounded and empathetic perspective on the challenges her clients face.

I. Deconstructing the New Rulings | 9:45am – 10:00am

This session examines how recent vocational policy developments at the Social Security Administration are transforming disability adjudication and the evaluation of past relevant work. Participants will review the practical meaning of SSR 24-1p and SSR 24-2p and how these rulings redefine the evidentiary landscape for vocational expert testimony. Special emphasis will be placed on the introduction of the five-year lookback period and how it alters historical employment analysis. Attorneys will learn how decision-makers now approach work history assessment when determining disability eligibility. The discussion will translate regulatory change into litigation-ready insight for case preparation and argument strategy.

II. Defining Skills Under the TSA Framework | 10:00am – 10:20am

This segment explores how vocational abilities are defined under the Transferability of Skills Assessment process outlined in POMS DI 25015.018. Participants will learn how the Social Security framework distinguishes between technical skills, general aptitudes, and non-transferable workplace characteristics. Real-world employment examples will be used to illustrate why certain experiences qualify as transferable vocational assets while others do not. The session will also address how skill classification influences vocational expert testimony and administrative findings. By the end, attorneys will better understand how to challenge or defend skill transfer conclusions in disability proceedings.

III. Optimizing Client Work History Documentation | 10:20am – 10:40am

Attorneys will learn how to strategically complete and analyze employment history documentation to influence vocational determinations under the new rules of the Social Security Administration. The session will focus on the importance of forms such as the Work History Report (SSA-3369-BK) in establishing or disputing transferable skill findings. Participants will review best practices for describing job duties, responsibilities, and functional limitations in ways that support their case theory. Proper documentation techniques can significantly affect how vocational experts interpret past work experience. The program emphasizes accuracy, consistency, and strategic narrative construction in client records.

IV. Developing a Winning Transferability Strategy | 10:40am –11:00am

This practice-focused session teaches attorneys how to frame arguments demonstrating why a client’s skills are not transferable within the sequential evaluation process. Counsel will learn methods for preparing cross-examination questions, challenging vocational expert assumptions, and reinforcing favorable case themes. The discussion highlights litigation-ready strategies for influencing Step 5 disability determinations where transferability findings are often decisive. Participants will explore how to integrate medical evidence, vocational analysis, and legal argumentation into a cohesive presentation. The goal is to equip practitioners with actionable tools that improve advocacy effectiveness and case outcomes.