Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

May/June, 1996

TO: NADE Members FROM:Lyle Larson, NADE Treasurer

Raise in Yearly Dues Needs to be Considered

DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS I have had the privilege of serving as NADE Treasurer and have seen how important the organization is to its members. NADE is well respected in Congress and is asked on a regular basis for input into the disability process. It is the only organization that gives the disability employee a unified voice in the ever changing disability process. Therefore, it is very important that NADE continue to meet its obligation and stay very active as a voice for its members and the disabled community.

NADE will be challenged even more in the coming years. With all of the proposed technology and re-design plans, we will need to be very pro-active and take a strong position on issues that affect our profession and the integrity of the Social Security Disability program. NADE’s current dues were established in 1989 at $40.00 for Professional and Associate and $20.00 for Professional Support and Retirees. All costs including postage, paper, and travel have gone up considerably since 1989. In order to keep this organization in a sound financial condition and to continue to offer good service to its members, I believe there is a need to raise dues. I propose the amount to be raised to $50.00 for Professional and Associate and $25.00 for Professional Support and Retirees, becoming effective June 1, 1997.

NADE is only as strong as its members and I do not want this issue to divide membership. All members need to discuss this in their local chapters and discover how the members feel about this increase in order to provide input at our National Conference in Chicago in October 1996. I’m proposing this raise because as the Treasurer I have a fiduciary responsibility to keep the organization on a strong financial base and make sure we continue to meet all of our financial obligations. In the coming years, there will be many demands put on NADE regarding projects that we should be involved with to keep its members informed; however, in order to do this, NADE will need the financial support of its members.