Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

May/June 2001

NADE Correspondence

December 19, 2000

President- Elect George W. Bush
Bush-Cheney Transition Foundation, Inc
1616 Anderson Road
Mclean, Virginia 22102

Dear President- Elect Bush:

On behalf of the officers and members of the National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE) I would like to offer the support of our Association to you and your Transition Team as you prepare for your Presidency and the awesome task of finding knowledgeable and skillful leaders who will be able to assist you in providing effective leadership for America.

NADE is a professional association whose purpose is to promote the art and science of disability evaluation. Our membership includes disability examiners, physicians, psychologists, attorneys, federal and state administrators, disability hearing officers, and support staff personnel. We believe that this diversity of our membership, as well as our hands on experience and familiarity with Social Security Administration (SSA) and state Disability Determination Service (DDS) operations, enables our Association to offer a perspective that is both unique and informed.

NADE members are strongly committed to the preservation of a strong, viable Social Security program. On several occasions during the past few years, current SSA Commissioner Kenneth Apfel expressed the belief that the Social Security Administration must continuously strive to maintain the institutional legitimacy of the Social Security programs. NADE strongly agrees with that position. We believe that your choice for Commissioner of Social Security will be pivotal to maintaining that institutional legitimacy and the public’s confidence in the Social Security programs— and in government itself.

In order to maintain this institutional legitimacy, concerns regarding the solvency of Social Security’s trust funds must first be addressed. No other issue takes precedence in the opinion of the American public. In order to be able to effectively deal with other issues and concerns critical to the mission of SSA, the American public must first be convinced that appropriate action is being taken to deal with the issue that strikes at the very heart and soul of the Agency’s mission.

However, other issues and concerns must also be dealt with. This is especially true with regard to the Social Security disability program. In fiscal year 2001, approximately two-thirds of SSA’s administrative budget is expected to be spent on disability work. Administering the disability program is an ever-changing, increasingly complex process. Insuring that the Agency can hire and retain a well-trained and knowledgeable workforce able to deal with the complex issues surrounding the disability program will necessarily be a major concern to the new SSA Commissioner.

Although a great deal of public discussion has taken place regarding the necessity to prepare for the benefit costs of the approaching wave of retiring baby-boomers, it must be recognized that these future retirees are right now in their most disability prone years. It is reasonable to expect that both the administrative costs and the program (benefit) costs of the disability program will increase. While some of the administrative costs of the retirement program might well be reduced through advances in technology, the same cannot be said for the administrative costs of the disability program which is, by nature, highly labor intensive. The disability evaluation process does not readily lend itself to significant savings through systems improvements. It is essential that the next Commissioner understand this fact from the very beginning of his or her tenure and that he or she begin immediately to work with you and with the Congress to obtain the resources necessary to bring disability policy and administrative capacity into alignment.

The Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) has prepared several in depth analyses of the issues and problems facing the disability program. Our Association has found these analyses to be insightful, accurate, and consistent with our “hands on” experience. NADE believes that maintaining continuity of the membership of the Advisory Board would be beneficial to the new Commissioner and send a strong message about SSA’s institutional legitimacy to the Congress and to the public.

We would welcome an opportunity to discuss our viewpoints in greater detail. We also invite you to visit our web site at www.nade.org to learn more about our Association and the issues that the new SSA Commissioner will face. Should you or any member of your Transition Team have questions, or desire additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Sue Heflin

Sue Heflin,
NADE President
515 North Lake Drive
Brandon MS 39042
Phone 601-853-5672

cc: General Accounting Office
Social Security Advisory Board
Senate Finance Committee House Subcommittee on Social Security