The Formation of COOFIA
Organization – COOFIA History
COOFIA is an acronym for California Office Of Federal Insurance Advocacy. Several years ago, COOFIA represented Zabian- now Dr. Zabian Crosby, D.H.Ed. Dr. Crosby was formerly represented by Binder and Binder, a national Disability Services Law Firm. The firm elected to separate itself from Dr. Crosby after a brief and unsuccessful campaign to establishing the prima facie case for qualifying the array and combination of impairments- a decision, which if successful, would have qualified Dr. Crosby’s serious medical concerns for disability benefits.
Dr. Crosby, having received correspondence from Binder and Binder, then contacted a COOFIA advocate for further assistance with his matter. COOFIA staff reviewed the information, materials, and correspondence, and shortly thereafter agreed to assist Dr. Crosby as his de facto Advocate. Having read the decision of the lower District Court, the decision was made to file an Appeal with the Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Their primary opponents were the Federal Social Security Administration, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Paul Talbert, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey James Lodge, and many other unnamed individuals. With the assistance of COOFIA, Crosby went before the Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as a Pro Se Appellant. Through the discovery portion of the Appeal, the COOFIA team and Crosby successfully revealed that the Social Security Administration had carefully hid the on-going unlicensed and unlawful practice of medicine without a license under the Disability Determination Services Unit, via Administrative Law Judge William C. Thompson, Jr.
Dr. Crosby received a partial satisfaction despite the final decision, where implications of widespread agency fraud would open the legal floodgates for future, current, and former claimants to refile their lawsuit for the same wrongdoing. Finally, the Ninth Circuit returned a public decision, stating that the claims and contentions were without merit, however, they offered no empirical analysis or reasoning to explain the foundation for conclusions reached. Despite these outcomes, the COOFIA Substantial Evidence Arguments, Language, and Reason, continue to appear as the basis of reasoning by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Panel that rendered the [D]ecision. Through the course of these legal proceedings, Dr. Crosby and the advocacy team were compelled to assist others who faced similar barriers when filing a disability claim.
In May 2011, the California Office Of Federal Insurance Advocacy- hereinafter, COOFIA- was formed. The organization sought the assistance of several professionals who work in tandem to provide Disability Service Advocacy for persons unable to pursue a Claim on their own behalf. COOFIA is compensated whenever a claimant prevails either within the SSA / VA appeals process or in Federal Court, where a judicial ruling is made reversing a lower decision, due to legal error(s), which took place during the Claim Application of Legal Claim Proceedings.
Critical COOFIA Dates
May 2011 - Crosby v. Commissioner: Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
May 2011 - California Office Of Federal Insurance Advocacy is founded
May 2011 - Emory Long, J.D. appointed Region III Director, DWS
May 2012 - COOFIA is established on Facebook
Jan 2013 - Crosby v. Commissioner: U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2013 - COOFIA - Facebook readership exceeds 1,000 weekly
Mar 2013 - Dr. Crosby writes to the President of the United States, Barack H. Obama
Apr 2013 - President Obama's White House responds to Dr. Crosby
Jun 2013 - SSA Regional Division begins its investigation of the assertions
Sep 2014 - SSA Regional Division concludes its investigation
Oct 2014 - Administrative Law Judge William C. Thompson, Jr. retires from the bench
Jan 2015 - Generation II: Augmentation of Existing Service Delivery Structure
Mar 2016 - COOFIA assembles the guidebook to disability filing and appeals
Aug 2016 - Robert A. Points joins the COOFIA Board of Directors
About Disability
"Most people tend to think of a disability as a physical condition that limits mobility. This is erroneous thinking. There are literally thousands of disabling conditions, beyond the diagnosis of moving limbs, which qualify for benefits. If you have been diagnosed with a condition that prevents you from working, do not be dismayed by the stigma attached to non-visible disabling conditions. COOFIA Advocates understand that most disabilities do not involve mobility, and can help you prove your case in an ALJ hearing or federal court." - Dr. Zabian Crosby, D.H.Ed.