The Challenge

Disability Attorney Services LLC had grown steadily, but not without growing pains. As the firm scaled beyond its early bootstrap roots, the workload outpaced its systems. Staff were stretched thin, and core processes buckled under the weight.

“We’re a bootstrap firm,” said Brett Fulton. “We do too much, then add people in, then do too much again.”

Manual ERE checks became a persistent bottleneck. Rather than working proactively, the team relied on client calls to trigger updates, a reactive loop that strained both staff and service quality.

“We were doing updates based primarily on client calls,” Brett explained. “And Social Security has changed their process too.”

Without a centralized system or alerting mechanism, the team was constantly playing catch-up. Frustration mounted.

“We were having to spend time trying to repair customer relations because we just didn’t have the time to be on the phone for half a day to get these updates.”

The more the firm grew, the more this inefficiency became unsustainable.

The Tipping Point

The breaking point arrived in early 2024, as pandemic-era growth collided with outdated internal workflows. “That growth started to hit us at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024,” Brett recalled. “In earnest, we started determining how to manage it around April of that year.”

Why Chronicle: From Pain to Progress

Chronicle entered the picture via a demo at the 2024 NOSSCR conference. Gary Brown, Disability Attorney Services LLC’s founding attorney, saw the potential first. “It looked like something that could really help us, especially on that customer service side keeping clients more informed about their claims,” Brett said.

The biggest draw? Turning the "black hole" of initial and reconsideration cases into clear, trackable workflows.

“We need to have a more consistent picture of what’s happening with our clients’ cases at that level.”

Chronicle stood out for its responsiveness and adaptability:

“When you all see something [that can be improved]...it gets vetted and changed quickly.”

The goal wasn’t to replace staff, but to unlock them:

Transformation & Results

Chronicle quickly became the backbone of the firm’s initial and reconsideration workflows. The team now uses it daily for uploads, downloads, and ERE monitoring. Tasks that previously could slip through are now caught automatically.

For Brett, Chronicle cut hours from his calendar workflow. Instead of pulling ERE files manually, he now cross-checks hearing formats directly in the dashboard, something their case management system can’t do. 

“Our other platform doesn't identify manner of appearance,” he noted, which made scheduling far more error-prone before Chronicle.

Chronicle also surfaced more accurate data overall, especially around case status and scheduling. That clarity reduced stress across the team and shifted the firm from reactive calls to proactive service.

“Before Chronicle...we had a lot more difficulty managing customer service.”

The result? Higher morale, smoother communication, and a team that’s never looking back.

Brett knows removing Chronicle would break more than workflows:

“There would be a small revolution. All the staff people love using it.”

The Takeaway

Chronicle didn’t just automate ERE updates, it stabilized a growing firm. It gave the team breathing room and their clients better communication.

Brett’s advice to firms still doing things manually:

“You’d have to have a really small caseload because it’s impossible to stay on top of everything that’s happening manually...SSA, in my opinion, is pushing people to be integrated.”

And his verdict on Chronicle?