Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

November/December 1998

Disability Adjudication Training System (DATS)
by Glenda Ratliff, Kentucky DDS

The latest information on DATS was presented by Anne Graham, Medical Policy Analyst with the Office of Disability, SSA.

ANNE GRAHAM, A MEDICAL POLICY ANALYSTS, with the Office of Disability in Baltimore presented a breakout session to inform NADE members of the purpose, makeup and progress of the DATS steering committee. The steering committee is an initiative of the Office of Disability to address training needs of individuals involved in disability adjudication for SSA. The group has representatives from NADE, OHA, NCDDD, Office of Training, Office of Redesign, Educators, Quality Assurance and Program Assessment, Operations and Office of Disability. The steering committee is to develop a proposal for a formal training system to educate everyone involved in disability adjudication including Administrative Law Judges, examiners, and medical consultants. Currently, DATS is considering three aspects of a training program.

First, pre-employment training is a “Voluntary Foundational Education before an individual is employed...that prepares him/her for work....” This training, as envisioned for disability adjudicators, would include college level courses concerning disability adjudication and cooperative internship arrangements between a University and SSA or DDS. A special subcommittee is trying to assess what college courses are currently available that would help meet the stated objective, what would be required to develop a college curriculum, sources of seed money such as SSA, and others who would be interested in the program. A second aspect of training that is being considered by the steering committee is in service training. SSA recognizes the need for in service training and is very involved with in service training at many levels, such as development of materials to train new adjudicators, process unification training, and training concerning changes in the regulations governing disability adjudication. The third type of training is continuing education, which is “additional voluntary training an individual obtains to enhance and expand the broad base of knowledge and skills necessary to be an adjudicator....” Continuing education could include a very broad spectrum of courses ranging from computer courses to medical courses. The current focus of the committee is on the available curriculum that would be relevant. They have also looked at the steps necessary for curriculum development. Many of DATS' goals are long term. In order to achieve the goals they have established, they need people, time and money. Due to other SSA initiatives, DATS is not a high priority item. However, the Office of Disability is very positive concerning their mission and their work will be ongoing.

The latest information on DATS was presented by Anne Graham, Medical Policy Analyst with the Office of Disability, SSA.