Return to Videos The people that will be at the Social Security disability hearing, you'll have the administrative law judge, and you'll have a reporter and an assistant who records the hearing and there will be a vocational expert who attends as well. Now the judge adjudicates the claim. The assistant takes down all the testimony information and the vocational expert is there. He has to have at least a master’s degree and be certified and acceptable to the Social Security Administration. He will determine whether or not there are any jobs that are available in the national economy that you can do based on your limitations. Then there will be you, and they'll be your attorney or representative, and then they will allow one witness usually, possibly two lay witnesses for very short testimony. That's essentially the people who will be there at your hearing.