Social Security Disability – The Basics 2026

Tereasa Rerko is a partner at Quatrini Law Group and concentrates her practice in the area of Social Security Disability. Subsequent to obtaining her MA degree, she will also now be serving as a third-party neutral in mediation matters. Practicing law since 1984, Ms. Rerko received her B.A. in Political Science cum laude from California University of Pennsylvania in 1979 and her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law in 1984. She obtained her M.A. in Conflict Resolution, with honors, from California University of Pennsylvania in 2020. Ms. Rerko is a member of the Westmoreland and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. She is also a Sustaining Member of NOSSCR, the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives. She has presented sessions at several NOSSCR national conferences. Attorney Rerko was recently elected to the PennWest California (formerly California University of Pennsylvania) Alumni Association Board of Directors for a three-year term and is currently serving as the President of the Association. Ms. Rerko previously served on the Board of Directors of United Way of Southwestern PA and is currently a member of its Women’s Leadership Council. She previously served on the Board of Directors of accessAbilities, Inc., and also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the accessAbilities Foundation, its sister agency. Ms. Rerko was involved with the former Girl Scout Council of Westmoreland for more than 17 years. Most recently she served two terms as president of the Board. Ms. Rerko has also served several terms on the Board of Directors of ParentWise of Westmoreland County. She previously served as Chair of the Westmoreland County Commission for Women and Families. Ms. Rerko is active in her church, the Partner Parishes of St. Pius X and Visitation of the B.V.M in Mt. Pleasant, PA.

Kaitlin Files is experienced in representing injured workers throughout all of Pennsylvania while primarily based in Philadelphia and Bucks County. She has focused solely on this area of the law since she was in law school. Since graduating law school, Kaitlin Files has been serving injured workers throughout Pennsylvania with proven success for the last decade. Representing her clients with grit and grace, Kaitlin gives each new case her undivided attention whilst walking you through each step of the process. Kaitlin spent her first six years out of law school working at a high volume law firm practicing workers’ compensation. She now runs her own boutique law firm continuing to represent injured workers throughout the region.

Marty Pillion is a retired ALJ with the Social Security Administration. He was Chief Judge of the Johnstown Hearing Office from 2012 to 2017. Judge Pillion was an instructor for decision writing training, new ALJ training, supplemental ALJ training, and judicial training. He was also involved in a number of special projects, including the Findings Integrated Templates (FIT), a Commissioner level initiative led by former Acting Chief Judge David Hatfield. FIT has been used to draft millions of ALJ decisions and dismissals and achieved the goal of significantly improving the quality of hearing level dispositions. He received his B.S. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is a summa cum laude graduate of New England School of Law. He is currently working as a federal appeals case reviewer for Chermol & Fishman.

Mr. Primm is the owner of Expert Vocational Services, LLC, founded in March 2011. Mr. Primm began serving as a vocational expert for the Social Security Administration in July 2011. In addition to serving as a vocational expert for SSA Mr. Primm also assists law firms with workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, civil litigation and LTD cases. Mr. Primm graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in December 1996 with master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. For the first fifteen years of his career, he worked as a vocational case manager for two disability management firms in which he performed Earning Power Assessments, job placement and on-site job analysis. During his career he has been accepted as an expert witness in Federal and Commonwealth court. Mr. Primm’s expertise has resulted in multiple decisions for his clients.

Adam represents injured workers in Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability/SSI claims. Recently, Adam authored the legal brief used to score a major victory for injured workers, successfully persuading the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court that a section of the Workers’ Compensation Act – used to limit workers’ benefits – was unconstitutional. He received his B.A. from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2009, where he majored in Political Science. While at Dickinson College, Adam studied at the London School of Economics. Before going to law school, Adam spent two years in Washington, D.C. where he worked for two separate members of the House of Representatives. Adam then went on to receive his law degree from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University (formerly Duquesne University School of Law) in 2014. During his time at Duquesne Law School, Adam studied the Chinese legal system in Beijing, China. Adam is a member of the Westmoreland County, Allegheny County, and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice before the courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Social Security Administration. He is a member in the National Organization of Social Security Representatives (N.O.S.C.C.R.) Adam is a co-founder of the “Visionaries,” a group at the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County dedicated to educating individuals in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s about local philanthropy and community foundations. Adam serves as a board member of the Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corporation and Laurel Legal Services. He is also a passionate advocate of Mental Health America’s Westmoreland County chapter. Adam grew up in Westmoreland County and currently lives in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh with his wife Carolina and two children, Paloma and Enzo. When he is not practicing law, he enjoys running, boating, golf, politics, and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates.

Michael Quatrini is an attorney with Quatrini Law Group, P.C., working out of the firm’s offices in Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Latrobe, and Altoona. He exclusively represents individuals in claims for Workers’ Compensation, VA Service-Connected Disability, and Social Security Disability/SSI Mr. Quatrini is a current faculty member and presenter for several Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s publications, including “Workers’ Compensation: Practice and Procedure”, “Social Security: Advanced Issues”, and “Social Security: The Basics.” He is a member of the PBA Workers’ Compensation Section Council and is a past- President of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association. Mr. Quatrini is admitted to practice before the courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Social Security Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is an active member of, and speaker for, national organizations including the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) and the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG).