Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

March/April 2000

January 6, 2000

Ms. Terri Spurgeon,
President National Association of Disability Examiners
P.O. Box 96074
Baton Rouge, LA 70896

Dear Ms. Spurgeon:

Thank you for your interest and continued support of redesign activities. In your letter dated December 4, 1999, you expressed some specific concerns regarding a report release by the Office of Quality Assurance and Performance Assessment detailing the results of a survey of customers whose claims were processed through the Full Process Model (FPM). I have asked Sue Roecker who directs the Disability Process Redesign Team to work with the Office of Disability and the Office of Quality Assurance and Performance Assessment and provide you with responses to your specific concerns.

I assure you we will continue to look closely at the results coming from the Prototype process. Our testing approach allows for putting the complete process together and making necessary refinements prior to nationwide implementation.

Again, I thank you for your interest and welcome any future comments as we move forward with the Prototypes. I am confident our efforts will result in a disability process that is both efficient and more responsive, as well as a process in which claimants, beneficiaries and taxpayers can have full confidence.

Sincerely,

Kenneth S. Apfel Commissioner of Social Security