President Scales pens letter to ACoSS Kijakazi

August 27, 2021

Kilolo Kijakazi

Acting Commissioner of Social Security

Social Security Administration

900 Altmeyer Building

6401 Security Blvd.

Baltimore, MD 21235

Dear Acting Commissioner Kijakazi:

The National Council of Disability Determination Directors (NCDDD) would like to congratulate and welcome you as the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. We appreciate your commitment to the disability programs, and your targeted efforts to learn from agency experts.

NCDDD is a voluntary professional organization for the Directors and managerial staff of the DDSs located in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The state Disability Determination Services (DDS) components are critical to the success of the disability programs, and NCDDD is comprised of DDS leadership across the overwhelming majority of state DDSs.

Recognizing this is a busy transition period for you and your team, NCDDD leadership would like to meet with you as soon as it is feasible. We look forward to sharing ideas and information from our front-line perspective that could be useful to you, and to discuss with you how we can maintain and strengthen our federal/state partnership to best serve the American people.

These are particularly challenging times, and even more challenging for the DDSs as we embark on a once in a lifetime transition to a new, single Disability Case Processing System (DCPS). A meeting also provides a forum to contribute our expertise proactively, to help the agency find solutions to DCPS transition challenges. We look forward to an opportunity to educate, collaborate, and share ideas, as well as, advocate for a “win-win”, customer service focused DCPS transition strategy.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Respectfully submitted,

Leon Scales

Leon Scales

NCDDD President

cc: John Owen, Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Determinations

Michelle Minton, Disability Case Processing System, Chief Program Officer

Jacqueline Russell, President-Elect, National Council of Disability Determination Directors