Leanne Hernandez, President

Our president is P. Leanne Hernandez and for 20 years, she has dedicated her career to assisting disabled individuals win their Social Security Disability claims nationwide.  Before becoming a representative, she worked for the Kentucky Department for Disability Determination Services (DDS) as a disability adjudicator. DDS is responsible for making the disability determination decisions for Social Security disability claims.

While at DDS, she was trained on all the requirements for disability including how to evaluate complex medical conditions (both mental and physical).  This comprehensive training is not taught in law school, and one does not need to be a lawyer to be a disability representative.  In fact, Leanne trains others how to be effective disability representatives and some of her clients are attorneys.  In 2023, Leanne created The Disability Academy, to train others who wish to hone their disability representation skills.

Leanne is also an Accredited Disability Representative which means she has passed a $1000 test administered by Social Security to prove that she is qualified to do this work.  She is also a longtime member of the National Association of Disability Representatives, adhering to a strict code of ethics and completing annual continuing education units as required by Social Security. 

She provides each client with timely and individualized attention. She is assertive in dealing with Social Security, and even the toughest of judges don’t intimidate her.  She has represented well over 2000 claimants at hearings in 38 states during her career.

In 2005, Leanne was the recipient of the Department for Disability Determination Services’ Commissioner’s Award for Meritorious Service, and she was the recipient of the 2011-2012 National Association of Disability Representatives’ Member of the Year Award. 

Leanne attended the University of Louisville where she earned a BA in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration degree with honors.  She also has a minor in Spanish and has served as a volunteer interpreter with the American Red Cross and at the Shelby Touched Twice medical clinic.

Marcella Allen is the Vice President at Disability Advocates and serves as the Director of Initial and Reconsideration Services.  She has over 20 years of experience working in the Social Security disability field, having first worked as a disability adjudicator for the Kentucky Department of Disability Determinations for ten years.  Since leaving that position, she has continued to be an effective advocate for people applying for Social Security disability by applying her insider understanding of how the disability programs work at Social Security. 

Marcella graduated from Campbellsville University with a Bachelor's degree in psychology and a Master's degree in psychology and sociology. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and spoiling her toddlers (her cats).