Draft:Jim Allsup

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Jim Allsup
Born
James F. Allsup
NationalityAmerican
Known forSSDI, disability rights

James (Jim) F. Allsup is an American insurance industry executive, disability rights advocate, and Social Security reformer best known for founding the first nationwide non-attorney firm specializing in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation services.

Career overview

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Jim founded Allsup & Associates in 1984, a private company dedicated to helping individuals with the SSDI claims process. Allsup later contributed to the development of the federal Ticket to Work Program aimed at expanding return-to-work opportunities for beneficiaries.[1][2]

In 1997, Jim hosted, wrote and produced his own national cable television show about the Social Security Administration and its Ticket to Work Program. The Allsup Report aired nationally on Kaleidoscope TV, a project of John C. Malone’s Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) and a cable channel established to serve the disability community.[3][4]

The 1995 testimony that Jim Allsup provided before the House Ways and Means Committee significantly changed the landscape of federal disability benefits by advocating for vocational rehabilitation of SSDI beneficiaries, a model that existed in the long-term disability insurance industry.[5][6] This testimony was instrumental in lawmakers passing the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, establishing the Ticket to Work (TTW) Program, which supports SSDI beneficiaries with assistance and incentives to return to work.[7][8][9]

In the 2000s, Jim directed the expansion of his corporation with Allsup Veterans Disability Appeals Services®[10] in 2012 (Veterans with disabilities are missing key guidance on their economic stability | Stars and Stripes),[11] and Allsup Employment Services in 2014,[12] Allsup Benefits Coordination in 2015, and Disability Financial Solutions in 2021.[13]

In 2017, Jim founded Allsup LLC and became its CEO. He published a book on the SSDI application process in 2018.[14]

In 2019, Jim created nonprofit Allsup Charitable Services[15] to provide business consultative services to five prominent organizations in East St. Louis, Illinois, to help them better serve their community.[16] In the last five years, the organization has donated more than $1 million to the local community.[17]

In 2024, Jim advocated for expanded use of electronic signatures at the Social Security Administration (SSA), aligning with former Commissioner Martin O’Malley’s efforts to modernize agency services. Allsup highlighted to lawmakers four statutory mandates supporting e-signature adoption at the SSA: the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (1998), the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-Sign Act, 2000), the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA, 2018), and the President’s Executive Order 14058 (Dec. 16, 2021) which directed federal agencies to improve digital access and reduce reliance on physical signatures. Jim Allsup has been recognized for his contributions to Social Security policy and advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "After I beat breast cancer, no one wanted to hire me". Newsweek. 16 February 2024.
  2. ^ https://buffalonews.com/opinion/article_5c4dae9f-ffae-47e2-a067-a44020bc46c4.html}} [bare URL]
  3. ^ Richmond, Ray (1997-03-11). "TCI setting sights on Kaleidoscope". Variety.
  4. ^ "BANKRUPTCY JUDGESHIP ACT OF 1997". commdocs.house.gov.
  5. ^ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-104hhrg21578/pdf/CHRG-104hhrg21578.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ https://www.congress.gov/110/chrg/CHRG-110hhrg48116/CHRG-110hhrg48116.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ "Hearing on Determining Eligibility for Disability Benefits: Challenges Facing the Social Security Administration" (PDF). waysandmeans.house.gov.
  8. ^ "Jim Allsup: Ticket To Work". 5 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Amid Disability, a New Lease on Working Life". aarp.
  10. ^ "Veterans Care Today: Brett Buchanan Of Allsup On How The US Has Improved Its Care For Veterans Over…". Authority Magazine. 2022-09-01.
  11. ^ "Veterans with disabilities are missing key guidance on their economic stability". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  12. ^ "Amid Disability, a New Lease on Working Life". AARP. Archived from the original on 2024-12-30. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  13. ^ "Allsup Expands Disability Insurance Services With Financial Solutions". New Mobility. 2023-05-25.
  14. ^ "Allsup Publishes E-Book to Simplify Getting SSDI Benefits". markets.businessinsider.com.
  15. ^ Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (9 May 2013). "Allsup Charitable Services Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "CUP Celebrates Two Years of Allsup Charitable Services | Catholic Urban Programs".
  17. ^ "Allsup Charitable Services' partners gear up for year-end giving". Illinois Business Journal.
  18. ^ "Jim Allsup Receives 2009 Advocacy Award". Invisible Disabilities® Association.