Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

November/December, 1997

Case Processing and Management Information
A Demonstration of RDS
by Lisa Martin, Texas DDS

HARRIET HARDY AND SANDY WILLEN, TEAM Leaders from the Office of Information Management, presented an overview of the case processing and management information system (MIS) available in the Redesigned Disability System (RDS). RDS is a computer software program that has been designed by SSA that will integrate all SSA disability systems. This includes all Field Offices, DDSs, Payment Centers, etc. The hope is one day SSA will have a totally paperless disability process with each component able to access their cases through RDS. As a background, RDS was started in 1992, about the time of Redesign. At that time SSA wanted to take advantage of developing technology to advance its systems development. Ms. Hardy related that she has been working with RDS since its infancy stage. From the systems perspective there are five steps in getting RDS up and running. They are:

1. Documentation of user needs

2. Communicating these needs to the programmers

3. Testing

4. Writing user instructions

5. Working with users after implementation

RDS is currently being tested by the Federal DDS and a Virginia Field Office. This testing is referred to as Release 1.1. The Field Office is handling live case intake using the RDS software and electronically transmitting this information to the Federal DDS examiners who develop and determine cases using the new software. Some of the modules included in RDS are the Collect Process, MER, CE, and Fiscal. There have been problems with networking, but the main problem is in response time of the system. SSA is actively trying to make improvements in these areas. RDS uses a Windows NT platform and interfaces with Microsoft Word to produce letters. The northern Virginia DDS is slated to begin using the RDS software in March 1998. In an effort to allow the DDSs to give input into RDS improvements three consortia have been formed. The consortia are composed of Wang Levy users, VERSA users, and Independent state users. The consortia chairs have agreed to speak in one voice as to the recommended improvements needed for further implementation of RDS. The recommendations are then given to the President of the National Council of Disability Determinations Directors (NCDDD), who conveys them to SSA. Sandy Willen demonstrated the MIS functions of RDS. Management Information runs on a separate database from RDS. This means that MIS will not interfere with case processing functions. From the Management Information module a manger can run several different types of reports. One is the standard report where the manager specifies data ranges. MIS will produce the report along with graphs. A second type of report available is the parameter driven report. This allows the manager to customize a report. A manager can schedule a report to run at certain times. An example of this would be to have a weekly production report run every Monday morning at 6:45 a.m. The report would then be available for the manager at the beginning of the work day. The third type of report uses the Ad Hoc Query tool. This allows the manager to setup a report not otherwise available in standard reports and parameter driven reports. RDS is and continues to be a giant undertaking for SSA. Viewed from a research and development perspective RDS is already a success. With continued work by SSA and input from the Consortium it is hoped that RDS will one day enhance the way disability claims are taken, adjudicated and put into pay. The DDSs are looking forward to that day with great anticipation.
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