Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

September/October, 1997

President's Message

AS I APPROACH THE END of my year as NADE President, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the members who offered their support, encouragement and assistance throughout this year. When I took office in October it was with a great sense of pride and honor, respect for NADE’s history and a vision for our future. I welcomed the opportunity to lead NADE through these changing times. Well, my NADE year has surely been both exciting and challenging. It has also been one of great opportunity for NADE to continue to be “a source of strength” in a world of change. I believe that by almost every measure NADE has had a successful year. Our various committees have made impressive strides towards accomplishing the goals which we, as an organization, have set for ourselves. Our successes came only as a result of our members getting actively involved in identifying and proposing realistic solutions to the problems facing the Disability Program today. NADE continues to thrive on the hard work, commitment and dedication of our Board of Directors, as well as each of our members. I’m proud of what we have been able to achieve by working together, as the strong effective voice for those involved in the disability evaluation process. As I have written these columns in the past months, I’ve recapped the issues we have taken on and the achievements we have made in strengthening NADE, as an organization of and for the membership. NADE’s work has shown the results. We have had a positive influence on the direction and improvement of the Disability Program. As I look back over the last year, NADE has had many accomplishments. We have:

*Reached agreement with SSA not to pursue changes to Section 221 of the Social Security Act.

*Effectuated changes in the number of DCM’s being considered for the pilots, as well as how the pilots would be evaluated.

*Secured representives on each of the three RDS consortiums.

*Continued to be an “active” stakeholder in the Disability Process Redesign effort.

*Secured an agreement with SSA to delay enforcement of the use of rationales, until adequate instructions were provided.

*Continued to play a critical role in the development of the Institute of Professional Adjudicator Education.

*Identified and voiced our concerns about the new Disability forms, being instrumental in getting SSA to convene a work group to develop a new set of forms with NADE’s assistance.

*Voiced our concern to Susan Daniels regarding the quality of many recent POMS and other policy releases being issued.

*Presented testimony before Congressman Bunning on the differences between ALJ and DDS decisions and other Redesign initiatives.

*Developed and issued a Discussion Paper, “The Medical Improvement Standard: An Analysis and Discussion of Ideas for Improvement.”

*Continued our dialogue with SSA, Congress and GAO in providing realistic solutions to the problems facing the Disability Program.

NADE can take pride in the strides we have made this year. Many people have worked very diligently to make these accomplishments a reality. As I look forward to passing the gavel to my successor, Debi Gardiner, I wish her well and offer my continued support and assistance. It appears the coming year will continue to be an exciting and challenging time for NADE. Our Profession and the Program that we administer are at critical crossroads. If we are to remain the strong effective voice for those involved in all aspects of the Disability evaluation process, we as members need to stay actively involved and be committed to keeping the line of communication open and to recruiting new members. Our presence will be stronger, our voice louder and our effectiveness enhanced by increased membership. Remember, our Future is NOW and our strength is YOUR involvement. As we look forward to a new NADE year, let us pledge to accentuate the positive. We face a time of challenge, a time of hope and a time for unprecedented achievement. So let’s celebrate the past, lay claim to the present and renew our commitment to the future. Let’s join together to enhance all the positives, make persistence our watchword and progress our goal. Together, we can truly make a difference. In closing, I would just like to remember our dear friend, Dan Fulton, 1992-93 NADE President who died on August 11, 1997. When I ran for President-Elect, Dan suggested I needed to do two things as President. First, I needed to lose my accent and, second, to slow down, I talked too fast. Well, I really don’t have an accent, and I have made some progress in speaking slower, I think. Dan will be sadly missed, but his commitment, dedication and enthusiasm for NADE and its members will be remembered always. Again, I really appreciated the opportunity and honor to serve as your President. I would like to thank all the members of the Board of Directors and the Committee Chairs, who have worked diligently giving both their time and endless efforts despite their hectic work schedules and family commitments. I look forward to seeing many of you in Louisville, KY at our National Training Conference.

-Susan LaMorte