Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

May/June, 1996

President's Message

NATIONAL DISABILITY PROFESSIONALS WEEK IS almost here. It is that time every year when we need to take stock of where we are as a profession and make the commitment to renew our membership in NADE and encourage others to become a part of NADE. Considering all the changes that are taking place in the disability program and all of the proposed changes in connection with Redesign, it is very important to understand what NADE stands for and what it is doing for disability examiners and the Disability Program. Currently NADE is the only national voice for DEs. NADE represents DEs by presenting both oral and written testimony before Congress. NADE has an ongoing dialogue with the staff and members of the House and Senate committees dealing with disability program issues. NADE is in continual communication with the administration at SSA and the Disability Redesign Process Team (DPRT). NADE has presented position papers and testimony to other governmental entities, such as the GAO and the Childhood Disability Commission. As a professional organization, NADE is attempting to protect the professional status of all individuals working in the Disability Program as well as striving to insure the fair and equitable treatment of disability claimants and maintaining the fiscal solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds. Federal employees in SSA have a national organization to promote their goals, the unions and management associations that represent them as a whole. The state employees of the DDSs have their individual state unions in some states and also some state employee organizations. These organizations are not working together to promote a unified position for their members. Again NADE is the only nationwide professional proponent for the state DDS employees. You need to encourage anyone working in the Disability Program or who is interested in the future of the Disability Program to join NADE. The more members NADE represents, the more strength our positions have. I encourage you to renew or join NADE. The Disability Program we save may be our own.