Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

January/February, 1999

President's Message

RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!!!!!! GET USED TO THAT SOUND. It is the sound of bells that have been ringing in the New Year for
the past few weeks. It is the sound of your phone that has probably been ringing off the hook with claimant calls as you try to
document activities of daily living. It is the sound of alarm bells as the time quickly approaches for the Commissioner’s decisions about
redesign. It is the sound of bank alarms as sudden cash withdrawals are made by DDS employees eager to take advantage of a
special opportunity to join NADE. Let’s talk about these bells.

We’ve just begun a New Year. Unfortunately, we all have to start the New Year only a week after Christmas. Did you know that the
average American gains 12 lbs. between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays? What a way to start the New Year, huh? It seems
a shame that we start every New Year looking our worst and spend the rest of the calendar year trying to get back into shape. I wish
good luck to each of you who have among your New Year’s resolutions the promise to lose weight. NADE was able to end the
calendar year in good shape but that doesn’t mean that we will not worry about the shape of things to come!

As the 1998 calendar year drew to a close, NADE was busy getting the attention of SSA on several fronts. We issued a challenge to
SSA to address some concerns we have had for some time about the quality assurance review process. I don’t think anyone in the
DDSs think the current system is fair or meaningful. We asked SSA to examine the process and devise a more effective one. SSA
responded by saying that they would. While they did not completely agree that the review process was broken, they agreed that it
needed to be fixed. NADE was invited to help. We will certainly look forward to being an active participant in this redesign initiative.

We also said to SSA, “Hey! There’s a few things that need to fixed about the situation involving disability hearing officers.“ Our letter
to the Associate Commissioner in October drew a quick response and a promise to address these concerns quickly. We will also be
following up on this matter by urging SSA to pay close attention to some specific safety concerns that have been expressed by these
hearing officers.

In November, we submitted a lengthy position paper which detailed our concerns about the viability of the Full Process Model of
disability redesign (the position paper is printed in this issue of the Advocate). We offered our idea for a more (at least in our opinion)
pragmatic approach to a new way of doing business in the 21st century. We accepted the Commissioner’s assertion that, “The status
quo won’t go!” Thus, to advocate for no change would be to advocate for pulling on Superman’s cape or to pull the mask off the Lone
Ranger. There are simply some things you don’t do! When the Commissioner says things will change, it’s best to get on the
bandwagon and try to direct the horses pulling the wagon than to stand in front of the wagon and try to stop it. The chances for
success are much better holding the reins than holding out your hand.

In December, we submitted our response to SSA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the acceptability of new medical sources.
Our response is also printed in this issue of the Advocate. Basically, we agreed that speech pathologists should be considered as
acceptable medical sources. NADE has long been an advocate for change in program requirements that will make an examiner’s job
easier. Remember when SSA said they would not accept school psychologists as acceptable medical sources? Who was it that said,
“Hey! How do you think we are going to be able to process all of these children’s claims if we can’t accept at face value what the
school records reflect?“ SSA quickly backed off their poorly considered directive.

Wow! 1998 was a busy year, you say. What will we do for an encore in 1999? Well, the next ringing sound you hear should be the
alarm bells as the Commissioner prepares to issue his decisions about disability redesign. NADE has been in full concurrence with the
Commissioner’s assertion that it is time to move on! However, we are not necessarily in agreement as to which direction we should
move. While the Commissioner has shown he has respect for the concerns of the stakeholders, and while he has been very available
to listen to the pleas made by the stakeholders as to which direction he should take, he has made it clear from the very beginning that
the overriding factors in his decisions will be consideration of future program costs and insuring public confidence in the program.
“Hello! Mr. Apfel, I believe our position paper achieves both of these goals. “

The final bell I want to mention is the bank alarm bells. NADE has decided to extend the incentive program for new members to join
by allowing new members to join as early as January and not having to renew their membership until June of the following year. This
is NADE’s version of “Let’s Make A Deal.“ New members can get up to 18 months for the price of 12. Keep in mind that those
potential new members are not the ones reading this since they don’t get the Advocate. However, YOU are reading this and getting
those potential new members to join is YOUR job! My assertion has always been that membership recruitment is not the responsibility
of just one person or one committee. It is the responsibility of all of us! NADE is YOUR professional association. Wouldn’t you like
your colleagues to be members? NADE’s voice is made louder by the more members we have. Don’t you want that voice to be loud
enough to be heard? Think about all that NADE has done in just the past few months. It is through NADE that YOUR opinion is
expressed to SSA. It is through NADE that you can get action from SSA on specific concerns. It is through NADE that you can show
that you have other skills and talents besides being able to process cases. It is through NADE that one day you could be writing this
column!

The challenges of 1998 were many but we were able to deal with them successfully. We will do so again in 1999. Challenges are
simply opportunities. We must accept them for what they are and be prepared to open the door when these opportunities come
knocking. I hope that each of you feel a great sense of pride in your professional association. It is a reflection of yourself. Believe in
your professional association and take an active part in it. Attend the midyear NADE Board meeting in Alexandria, Virginia March 11 -
14 at the Ramada Inn Hotel. Attend a NADE training conference. Serve in a leadership capacity in your chapter, region and at the
national level.

Be Involved in NADE!