Work after AOD: How to Salvage Your Claim: UWA, TWP, IRWE – 2026 Spring National Conference – Track I (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Christine Burnside, Esq., Managing Attorney, Social Security Department | Deuterman Law Group

Christine Burnside is the Managing Attorney for the Social Security department at Deuterman Law Group, where she has practiced Social Security disability law since graduating from law school in 2012. A double Tar Heel, she earned both her undergraduate degree and her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Christine has been certified by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Social Security disability law since 2019, serves on the NC Bar Social Security Specialization Committee, and was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR), where she serves as Fourth Circuit Representative.

• Education & Credentials
  • Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Law, Class of 2012). She is certified by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Social Security disability law — a designation she has held since 2019 and serves on the NC Bar Social Security Specialization Committee. Her credentials reflect sustained excellence and recognized expertise in one of the most technically demanding areas of benefits law.
• Recognition & Leadership
  • Christine has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR), where she serves as the Fourth Circuit Representative — a role that places her among the leading voices in Social Security disability advocacy at the national level. She also serves on the NC Bar Social Security Specialization Committee, contributing to the standards and oversight of legal specialization in this field. Her board-level leadership at NOSSCR reflects the confidence of her peers in her expertise and commitment to the profession.
• Professional Involvement
  • Christine is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of Social Security claimants’ representatives through NOSSCR’s NextGen program. She is passionate about developing newer practitioners in the field and helping them build the skills and confidence needed to effectively advocate for clients with disabilities. Her involvement in NextGen, combined with her committee and board service, reflects a professional philosophy centered on both client advocacy and the long-term health of the Social Security disability bar.
• Experience
  • Christine has practiced Social Security disability law exclusively since joining Deuterman Law Group immediately after law school in 2012, building over a decade of focused expertise in this area. As Managing Attorney of the firm’s Social Security department, she oversees the legal representation of clients seeking disability benefits while also mentoring staff and newer practitioners. Her NC Bar specialization certification, board service at NOSSCR, and committee work with the NC Bar reflect a career defined by deep subject matter expertise, professional leadership, and a genuine passion for helping clients navigate the Social Security disability system.

Christine Latona, Esq., Social Security Attorney | Deuterman Law Group

Christine Latona is a Social Security Attorney at Deuterman Law Group, bringing a distinctive professional journey to her advocacy for disability claimants. She completed a dual degree program at the University of Pittsburgh before earning her Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2000. Her legal career spans workers’ compensation defense, certified mediation, and plaintiff-side personal injury work before she found her calling in Social Security disability law, a practice shaped in part by her own health experiences and by watching her mother, a factory worker, navigate the system firsthand. Christine currently chairs the Disability Advocacy Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and is a member of NOSSCR NextGen.

• Education & Credentials
  • Christine completed a dual degree program at the University of Pittsburgh and earned her Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2000. She is also a certified North Carolina Superior Court Mediator, a credential that reflects her training in alternative dispute resolution and her understanding of how parties navigate complex legal and administrative processes. Her multidisciplinary academic and professional background informs a well-rounded approach to Social Security disability advocacy.
• Recognition & Leadership
  • Christine currently serves as Chair of the Disability Advocacy Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, one of the state’s leading plaintiff’s advocacy organizations. In this leadership role, she helps set the agenda for disability law advocacy across North Carolina and provides a forum for attorneys working on behalf of disabled individuals. She is also a member of NOSSCR NextGen, further demonstrating her engagement with the national Social Security disability bar and its emerging practitioners.
• Professional Involvement
  • Christine is an active member of NOSSCR NextGen and chairs the Disability Advocacy Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, positioning her at the center of both the national and state-level communities dedicated to representing individuals with disabilities. Her personal connection to the challenges her clients face, drawn from her own health experiences and her mother’s journey through the Social Security system as a factory worker, gives her advocacy a depth of empathy and authenticity that distinguishes her practice and her professional engagement.
• Experience
  • Christine’s legal career began in workers’ compensation defense at a large multi-state firm before she became a certified North Carolina Superior Court Mediator and transitioned to plaintiff-side work, where she developed her Social Security disability practice. That path, from defense to mediation to plaintiff advocacy, gave her an unusually broad perspective on how disability and injury claims are evaluated, contested, and resolved. At Deuterman Law Group, she now focuses that experience on representing Social Security disability claimants, guided by a deeply personal understanding of what is at stake for clients who depend on these benefits to survive.

I. Understanding Work Activity After the Alleged Onset Date (AOD) | 10:15am – 10:35am

This segment examines how employment after a claimant’s alleged onset date can affect a Social Security disability claim. Attendees will learn how the Social Security Administration evaluates post-onset work activity and how earnings may impact the determination of disability. The discussion will also address how attorneys can assess work history early in a case to identify potential risks and opportunities.

II. Applying Unsuccessful Work Attempts (UWA) to Preserve Disability Claims | 10:35am – 10:55am

This session focuses on the criteria used to classify employment as an Unsuccessful Work Attempt. Participants will learn how UWAs can allow claimants to maintain their original alleged onset date despite brief periods of work. The segment will also address documentation strategies and the evidence needed to support a UWA finding.

III. Using Trial Work Periods (TWP) and Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) Effectively | 10:55am – 11:15am

Attorneys will learn how Trial Work Period rules allow certain SSDI beneficiaries to attempt returning to work without immediately losing benefits. The discussion will also address Impairment-Related Work Expenses and how qualifying expenses can reduce countable earnings. Practical guidance will focus on identifying these factors in client records and applying them effectively to disability claims.

IV. Addressing Subsidies and Other Strategies to Protect the Alleged Onset Date | 11:15am – 11:30am

This segment examines how subsidies and special employment conditions may affect the evaluation of earnings in disability cases. Participants will learn how to identify employer support, reduced productivity expectations, or workplace accommodations that may influence substantial gainful activity determinations. The discussion will also highlight advocacy strategies for presenting these issues during the disability determination process.