2023 NADR Q3 Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

3 A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

4 NADR NETWORKING WEEKEND

5 ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NADR MEMBERSHIP

6 NADR LEGISLATIVE TRIP SUMMARY

7 NADR NETWORKING WEEKEND

I must admit, I struggled on how to write my last contribution to the NADR Newsletter as president of this great organization. I’ve spent the last 9 years on the Board, the last 2 as president. There have been a lot of great moments but it also hasn’t come without challenges and adversity. But without challenges and adversity, how do you grow?

Prior to becoming president, I had the honor of serving under 4 great mentors in Bob McDowell, Steve Skinner, Phil Litteral and Greg Cates, all who along with the previous NADR Presidents, paved the way for NADR to be what it is today. I counted 22 other Board members I’ve served with over the years and each one of them have left their mark on the organization.

Since joining the Board in 2014, we’ve seen a lot of change. 4 different commissioners, A LOT of regulatory changes (including much tighter rules for representatives), agency budgetary challenges, staffing issues within SSA, backlogs at all levels….on and on and on. Oh, and a little thing called COVID 19. Yet, throughout all the curveballs thrown at representatives and claimants, NADR was at the forefront through our Legislative team. NADR has responded to each challenge by going to The Hill to meet with congressional leaders and SSA staff to convey the messages from the frontlines on how regulations work for and against the disability program.

During the Pandemic, NADR continued to be in constant contact with SSA staff and The Hill to ensure the level of service did not suffer. Agency staffing levels are at a 25 year low and backlogs at some levels have reached an all time high. This has and will never be an acceptable excuse when claimants are at risk. NADR will always continue the fight and work with SSA to improve customer service along with the claimant and representative experience.

When we heard the ever increasing cry of our members’ inability to keep going because SSA could not simply pay the representative fees that were hard earned, we LISTENED. We ACTED. Through the Missing Fees project, NADR has been able to collect over $1.63 million (and counting) in overdue representative fees. Because of NADR’s initiative, several members have said they are able to keep their doors open, retain employees and most importantly, help their clients obtain benefits they need to survive.

Lastly, I have to mention the one thing that is most personal to me. It’s a benefit that I alone have reaped from being a member of NADR and not even because of my term on the Board. Back in April 2015, I met our Talklist Sheriff Shirley Jenks, at the Conference in Austin, TX. I didn’t know it at the time, but the friendship we kindled then would turn into so much more. So much more that we became engaged at the Puerto Rico Conference last year and married earlier this year. I’m not saying that the networking opportunities and friendships you make at NADR events will lead to such things, but you never know!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. My door is always open. I’ll see you in New Orleans and beyond.

Michael Wener, ADR NADR President

ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NADR MEMBERSHIP? DEB DOXEY

Many of us are busy and continue the day to day without realizing we have resources to make our life simpler! In your NADR world, we want to make sure you are utilizing the resources available to simplify your work life!

One of the greatest selling points, from my Administrator point of view, is the Talklist Forum. I see people getting great information on there, answers to questions that may have taken weeks to get from somewhere else. The other uniqueness I see on the Talklist Forum is the willingness of members to help each other, true advocates for the profession instead of adversaries in business.

Many people join NADR for the TRS- Telephone Referral System. Even though Social Security gives the wrong number out often (I know this because they come to me), we receive many calls through our 1-800 referral number. As Jane Johnson told me when I first started, 1 win from a call received through the TRS is well worth the price of membership. If you don’t know, the TRS application opens yearly 11/15-1/5 and members receive 1 free area code in the system. You can purchase additional, but why not at least take advantage of your 1 free area code?

Member Resources, for those who use them, help with developing cases, strategizing and might just provide the template necessary to help get your client the win. Board Member Sherrell Rodgers and her team of volunteers recently updated all of the resources. Volunteers reviewed all documents to make sure we are offering the most current resources, templates, articles, etc. to our members.

In March of 2022 we hosted a Connect Call which focused on Navigating NADR Resources. You can watch that recording with the link below. Meeting Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/g2n_qf6twaMQvjivUyoMGfbYo2nf8tAZZrEbI48X5b78CdszBfIan9QISo4F0A9l.uyG_kGsolFAjuM0R

Access Passcode: #&f4m8By

Another great way to network with other members is the monthly meetings that are included as part of your membership. NADR Connect meetings were designed to offer a space for new representatives to come together and discuss topics they’re facing. The most recent focus of these calls has been to connect and support new reps as they prepare for the national EDPNA exam. We host Connect calls the 2nd Thursday of the month, except for a break in the summer in July/August, and you can sign up each month. These meetings are recorded with the link sent out after.

NADR Masterminds is a group that allows you to engage with more colleagues throughout the year. We offer a time at the beginning of each meeting for you to share successes, ask for advice and network. We’ll also assign one discussion topic each month that will be based on a nugget from one of NADR’s previous webinars, conference sessions, podcast episodes or event Talklist Forum posts. This group then separates into breakout sessions to have the topic discussion in a smaller group. With Masterminds, you sign up once and will receive the login for the series which occurs the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Our Education Committee led by Dr. Carletta Griffin and Carol Balderree have knocked it out of the park this year! We continually have amazing webinars on a range of topics monthly. These webinars are offered to members and non-members and give you gems on a range of topics that are useful in your day-to-day work.

Whatever your day to day is, I hope you remember, you get out what you put into anything in life! We hope you put a little into your membership with NADR and get a LOT out of it!

Deb Doxey NADR Administrative Team

NADR LEGISLATIVE TRIP SUMMARY

NADR’s legislative team met with key congressional staff on House and Senate Appropriations, House Ways & Means and Senate Finance CoHYin May. Here are some key take-aways from those conversation:

There will be intense competition among federal departments and agencies for a share of the shrinking pie of dollars available for FY 2024.

Recently enacted legislation to lift the debt ceiling until after the 2024 elections included reducing appropriations levels for non-defense discretionary spending to below FY 2023 levels. While the Senate plans to produce spending bills consistent with that agreement, the House has determined to write spending bills that would limit non-defense discretionary spending to FY 2022 levels - a considerably larger cut. In our discussions with appropriations staff, all acknowledged that there will be intense competition for FY 2024 appropriations, they stressed that, rather than across-the-board cuts, department and agency funding will be determined based on the priorities of Appropriations Committee Members, and the Labor/HHS Subcommittee in particular for SSA’s administrative budget. They urged NADR members to reach out to their Members of Congress to educate them about the need to fully fund the President’s budget request for SSA in order to avoid further service degradation. They noted that Members are aware of service issues at SSA, in part due to advocacy efforts the led to an increase in SSA funding for FY 2023.

It is highly unlikely that House and Senate will reach agreement on the FY 2024 spending bills before the start of the 2024 fiscal year on October 1. While a short-term continuing resolution would keep the federal government funded beyond October 1, it is unclear whether even such a stop-gap measure could pass both Houses and be signed by the President. Several Appropriations Committee Members have warned that a government shutdown is a real possibility this Fall.

Improving SSA service delivery will be a priority focus of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways & Means Social Security Subcommittees

We expect Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) to reintroduce this summer bipartisan legislation with Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to remove a significant disincentive to attempting to work for disabled adult children who receive SSDI benefits based on their parent’s work history. NADR has endorsed this bill, which would assure that all individuals with severe medical conditions that began before age 22 the same - no matter when their parents claim Social Security benefits. Once introduced, we will issue a call to action for NADR Members to urge their Senators to cosponsor the bill.

The Finance Committee also is interested in updating SSI to remove penalties for saving even a modest amount of money for emergencies. Currently, SSI recipients will lose their benefits if their assets exceed $2,000. A married couple is limited to $3,000. Those limits were set in 1989 and have not been increased since. We expect a bipartisan group of Senators to reintroduce a proposal this year that would increase the asset limit to $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for a married couple. NADR supports this proposal to remove a huge disincentive that prevents SSI recipients from saving for unforeseen emergencies.

The House Ways & Means Social Security Subcommittee is looking at what approaches to delivering service that were established during COVID should be continued. Items we encouraged them to look at include the use of e-signatures, access to more sections of the e-file earlier in the adjudication process and streamlining the process for getting recognized as a representative. Subcommittee staff acknowledged that IT modernization is needed, but noted that policies need to be updated as well. They said that improving outcomes for constituents is a priority for Subcommittee members.

Senators and Representatives are hearing from their constituents who cannot access the Social Security benefits they have earned.

It was clear in all of our meetings that Social Security service delivery is impacting constituents across the country and Members of Congress are taking notice. NADR will continue to work with the membership to increase awareness among elected officials of the need to address both funding and policy issues to make the process of applying for and receiving Social Security benefits more accessible to Americans nationwide.

Jeanne L. Morin

Pronouns: she, her, hers Public Policy Advisors

DISABILITY HEALTH ADVOCATES

GENERATE

First Year: You will receive $601 $750 in CA & NJ / $678 in CT, DC, PA per enrollment.

Annual Renewal: $301+

$375+ in CA & NJ

$339+ in CT, DC, PA

COMPLIANT AND ETHICAL

Don't sell your client list to a third party. We will teach you how to help your clients’ while keeping their protected information confidential and remaining ethical and compliant under all Rules and Marketing Guidelines.

MORE REFERRALS

By offering this service in-house, you will generate SSDI and Medicare referrals, which is a lost benefit if you sell your client list to a third party.

MAXIMIZED BENEFITS

Unaware: Many of your clients are unaware of the health plans available to them, often at no additional cost above what they pay for Medicare.

Plans: Plans combine Original Medicare, with a prescription plan, and additional coverage.

Reduced Cost: Plans drastically reduce out-of-pocket medical and prescription costs.

Additional Benefits: Plans often include dental and vision coverage, a free gym membership, transportation, over the counter items, etc.

2023

Eleventh Circuit Social Security Cases 2023

in the 11th Circuit

Sarah Sarah Bohr’s Pocket Guide to Key SecuritySocialRulings 14TH EDITION by SarahH.Bohr 2337SEMINOLEROADEPHONE904246-7603FACSIMILE904239-3222ICBEACHFL32233 ww SarahBohrPublications.com

Bohr’s Pocket

to Key Social Security Rulings - 14th

NEW! 2022 UPDATE!

• Annotates 90 key Rulings, through SSR 21-1p and SSR 22-2p addressing fraud & similar fault

• New and improved synopses of key Social Security Rulings

• Includes Acquiescence Rulings by circuits

• Updated Chart of Rulings by Subject Areas

of your case!

DOWNLOADABLE VERSION

FEE ISSUES

Your Trusted Referral Partner

WORKING TOGETHER, WORKING FOR THE CLAIMANT

At OBL, we believe that seamless representation is the key to success – we offer our referral partners a number of services to ensure the claimant has a unified experience. Our firm can provide pre- and post-hearing support (including rebuttal vocational reports), as well as regular training for you and your staff. Our federal court reviews are designed to offer specific feedback for each case, and our team is here to help both you and your client navigate the process.

We use [OBL as a federal court referral source]. In fact, we send all of our ALJ denials to them to review for legal error. If there is legal error, they write out AC briefs for us. How awesome is that? If the claim gets remanded back, we get it back. It is a win-win for both of us. Karl also provides free training for us. I truly value this partnership.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2022