Does Troy Rosasco Handle SSDI Hearings? What Claimants Should Know About ALJ Representation

If you've searched for Troy Rosasco in connection with SSDI hearings, you're likely somewhere in the appeals process — past an initial denial, possibly past reconsideration, and now facing an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing. That stage is where representation tends to matter most, and it's where claimants often start researching attorneys by name.

This article explains how SSDI hearings work, what representation at that stage actually involves, and why the attorney you work with can shape the process in ways that go well beyond simply showing up.

Who Is Troy Rosasco?

Troy Rosasco is a New York-based disability attorney who has been practicing Social Security disability law for decades. He is associated with the firm Turley, Redmond, Rosasco & Rosasco, LLP, and has been publicly visible in the SSDI advocacy space — appearing in media, writing about disability law, and focusing his practice on Social Security claims at multiple stages, including ALJ hearings.

This article doesn't evaluate his firm or make referrals. What it does is explain the hearing stage he and attorneys like him operate in — so you understand what you're actually navigating.

What Is an ALJ Hearing in the SSDI Process?

The SSDI appeals process moves through several defined stages:

The ALJ hearing is the first stage where a claimant appears before an actual decision-maker in person (or by video). It's a formal but non-courtroom proceeding. The ALJ reviews the full medical record, listens to testimony from the claimant, and often questions a vocational expert (VE) about what work — if any — the claimant could still perform.

This is where cases are often won or lost. Approval rates at the ALJ level have historically been higher than at the initial or reconsideration stages, but that doesn't mean the hearing is a formality. The ALJ has wide discretion, and the outcome depends heavily on how medical evidence is presented and challenged.

Why Representation at the Hearing Stage Matters ⚖️

At the ALJ stage, a representative — whether an attorney or a non-attorney advocate — can:

• Cross-examine the vocational expert, whose testimony often determines whether SSA believes you can perform other work
• Challenge RFC (Residual Functional Capacity) assessments that underestimate your limitations
• Identify gaps in the medical record and request additional evidence or evaluations before the hearing
• Prepare you for testimony so your answers accurately reflect your functional limitations
• Submit a pre-hearing brief summarizing why the evidence supports a finding of disability

The RFC — Residual Functional Capacity — is the SSA's assessment of what you can still do despite your impairments. It drives the hearing outcome. An experienced representative knows how to build a record that supports a more restrictive RFC when the evidence warrants it.

What Shapes Whether You Need Representation — and What Kind

Not every claimant's situation at the hearing stage is identical. Several factors affect how complex your case is and how much an experienced attorney can change the outcome:

• Medical evidence quality: Is your record well-documented, or are there gaps that need to be addressed before the hearing?
• Nature of your condition: Mental health impairments, chronic pain conditions, and progressive diseases often require more nuanced presentation than conditions with clear objective markers.
• Work history: Your past work affects what the vocational expert will testify about. Someone with a long history of skilled work may face different questions than someone with unskilled labor history.
• Age: SSA's grid rules give more weight to age as a factor in certain cases, particularly for claimants 50 and older.
• Prior denials: If your case was denied at initial and reconsideration, understanding why — and what the ALJ is likely to focus on — changes how the hearing should be prepared.
• Onset date disputes: If SSA and your physician disagree on when your disability began, the hearing may include testimony specifically about that timeline.

What Attorney Fee Arrangements Look Like in SSDI Cases 💡

SSDI attorneys, including those who handle ALJ hearings, typically work on contingency. That means no upfront fees. If they win, they receive a percentage of your back pay — capped by federal law. As of recent years, that cap is $7,200 or 25% of past-due benefits, whichever is lower, though this figure adjusts periodically and SSA must approve the fee.

If you don't win, the attorney collects nothing. This structure is standard across SSDI representation and is regulated by SSA regardless of which attorney or firm you work with.

Geographic Scope and Hearing Modalities

One question claimants in New York and surrounding areas often have is whether a specific attorney can represent them at their hearing location. Most SSDI hearings now offer video and telephone options alongside in-person appearances, which expanded significantly post-pandemic. This affects which attorneys can practically represent claimants across different SSA hearing offices.

If you're considering an attorney based in a particular state, understanding whether they appear at your assigned hearing office — or via remote modality — is a practical detail worth confirming directly.

The Hearing Outcome Depends on Evidence, Not Just Advocacy

Even the most experienced SSDI attorney cannot manufacture a winning case from a weak medical record. What representation does is ensure that a strong record is presented effectively, that procedural opportunities aren't missed, and that the vocational expert's testimony is properly challenged when it overstates your work capacity.

Whether your record supports the functional limitations you're claiming — and whether those limitations meet SSA's definition of disability under the five-step evaluation process — is something that depends entirely on your medical history, your work background, and the specific facts of your case.

That's the piece no article can fill in for you.