Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

September/October, 1999

President's Message

Thank you! These are two very simple words but they mean so much. They are also inadequate to truly convey the feelings I have for so many people who have been so helpful to me during this past year. However, they will have to do for the moment. I actually entertained the idea to let those two words serve as the entire text of this column. I realized, however, that to do so would cause Donna Hilton, our Advocate Editor, to faint since she wouldn’t know what to do with all of the extra space. Also, everyone else who knows me, and who knows that brevity is not a personal character trait of mine, would go into shock. Therefore, I decided to take up my pen (actually, the keyboard of my PC) and protect the health of these dedicated NADE members.

Saying “Thank you” is a big part of my message this month. This column will be the last one I write as NADE President (yes, Donna, you can have the Advocate back now!) and I do want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to many people. This has been a truly exciting and challenging year for NADE and for me personally. I learned to balance coaching Little League with the NADE regional training conference schedule, even though my son is quick to point out that his team was 10-2 this year when I was there to coach, but 0-6 when I wasn’t. I learned that government may move at a snail’s pace but when someone wants NADE’s comments on a matter, they wanted it yesterday. I learned that serving as NADE President is a lot of work but the friends you make along the way and the experience of working with other NADE members to achieve a common goal is worth it. Personally and professionally, having the opportunity to serve as NADE President will be one of the greatest experiences of my life and the memory of this year will be cherished for many years to come.

I would like to thank YOU, the membership of NADE, for allowing me this opportunity to serve as your President. You elected me to serve as President-elect in 1997-98 and as President this year and I am grateful for the confidence you placed in me and for the support you have given to me throughout my tenure. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met so many of you during the past two years. NADE is a great organization and it is easy to see why - our members are dedicated professionals whose integrity and sense of pride allows us to endure the constant challenge of meeting, and surpassing, the many expectations others have of us. I am proud and honored to have had the opportunity to serve as your President. I will look forward to working with each of you during the years ahead to continue our advocacy for the rights of disability professionals and support professionals. I want to thank the administration of the North Carolina DDS, especially Glenn Sexton and Fred Beckham. Both of these gentlemen have been absolutely wonderful in their support of NADE and my Presidency. My colleagues in the QA unit have been very understanding of my frequent absences from work during the past year and, not very surprising, the rest of the DDS staff have not seemed to care very much if QA is short of staff. Of course, the members of my own NADE Chapter, the Tar Heel Association of Disability Examiners (THADE) have been extremely supportive and I would like for them to know that I appreciated their support very much. This past year would not have been possible without their support.

I want to thank the members of the NADE Board of Directors and national committee chairpersons who demonstrated throughout the year their visionary thinking and their own commitment to NADE. These people have been wonderful to work with and I will look forward to continuing my professional association with them as a member of NADE and my personal association with them as a friend. It has been a terrific opportunity to experience firsthand the diligent labor from so many people who have worked together to accomplish so much.

Throughout my travels this year as NADE President, I have been shown great hospitality from my hosts, whether my host is a NADE Chapter hosting a regional conference, or a NADE Chapter that has invited me to speak at their DDS, or the Commissioner of Social Security and his staff.

There are many other people who have helped make this past year so memorable. I wish I had enough space to name everyone by name. Marty Marshall ended up with the almost impossible task of trying to convince me to shorten anything I wrote and I came to admire her editing skills, even though I didn’t use them to the extent that she would have wished. I offer my apologies to anyone who had to read my handwriting, especially the U.S. Postal Service who complained just about every time I mailed something (don’t those people have magnifying glasses or copy machines with enlarging capabilities?).

I want to express my appreciation to SSA Commissioner Ken Apfel, Principle Deputy Commissioner John Dyer, and Associate Commissioner Ken Nibali and their excellent staffs who have been so willing to work with NADE during the past year. It is because of their willingness to welcome NADE’s input, and the hard work of NADE’s Board of Directors and our national committees, and particularly YOUR involvement, that NADE was able to accomplish so much this year. Here are the highlights of our achievements.

l We continued our work with SSA, Congress, GAO, the Social Security Advisory Board, and DDS Administrators to identify problems and potential problems within the disability program and to reach reasonable solutions to these problems.

l We have pursued creative changes in the federal quality assurance hearing officers.

l We have alerted SSA to issues and concerns of disability hearing officers.

l We prepared a detailed position paper on the Full Process Model and, in the process, caused SSA to reexamine its plans to proceed with an immediate national rollout of the new disability claims process.

l NADE’s executive leadership had their second private meeting with SSA Commissioner Ken Apfel.

l NADE was asked and did assist in the writing of congressional legislation designed to reduce fraud in the disability program. l NADE remains a credible voice and a recognized expert in disability matters on Capitol Hill.

l NADE continued its sponsorship of regional and national training conferences.

l NADE has continued to sponsor avenues for continuing education and professional certification for our members.

l NADE has continued its sponsorship of a nationally recognized awards program.

l NADE responded to requests from GAO for information about SSA’s readiness for the 21st century.

l NADE established its own web site at www.nade.org.

l NADE responded to a request from SSA’s Office of Strategic Management for input into the development of the agency’s next strategic plan.

l NADE prepared a position paper urging the elimination of the 5-month waiting period for Title II disability claimants.

l NADE has continued to offer opportunities for excitement, fun and friendship for our members as well as opportunities to participate on a national level in the decision-making process.

NADE has done a lot more and we will continue to do a lot more in the year that lies ahead. Terri Spurgeon will be the next President of NADE and she is a very capable leader and personal friend. I now know the reason for the gleam in the eye and the smile on the face of my dear friend, Debi Gardiner, when she passed the President’s gavel to me last year in Rapid City. I am looking forward to having that same gleam in my eye and smile on my face when I pass the gavel to Terri in Denver.

President's Message, continued

Please remember that NADE is YOUR professional association. Be a part of it and be involved in it! NADE is not an exclusive club. It is a professional association whose membership and leadership is open to anyone who has a desire to participate. Personally and professionally, I will always cherish the memories of the challenges, opportunities, friendships, and more that made this past year so memorable. This same opportunity is there for you. Don’t be afraid to open the door when opportunity knocks.

Thank you.

Jeff Price President