Social Security Administration Receives 16th Annual W. Edwards Deming Award

Graduate School USA Recognizes Excellence in Workforce Development and Training

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Graduate School USA presented its W. Edwards Deming Award to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Office of Appellate Review on May 23, 2011. SSA's Office of Appellate Review won the award for an innovative program to quickly train new legal analysts who adjudicate disability claims.

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With only 1100 judges, attorneys, and paralegals, SSA's Office of Appellate Review faced a dramatic increase in disability claims appeals following the 2009 economic downturn. The Office anticipated and met this challenge by creatively redesigning its training program for more than 400 new legal analysts. As a result, the Office was prepared with knowledgeable staff to promptly adjudicate a rising backlog of appeals and reduce the wait time for disability appeal decisions.

"The Deming Award recognizes leadership and excellence in training that achieves measurable results, and the Office of Appellate Review at the Social Security Administration is a worthy recipient," said Dr. Jerry Ice, CEO and President of Graduate School USA. "They understood the importance of training new analysts quickly but thoroughly to reach decisions on more than 100,000 disability appeals per year – appeals that are critical for many Americans."

The length of the training program was cut from eight to six weeks by using new approaches, and the result was more consistent decisions, the reversal of a decline in analyst output, and a drop in the backlog of pending disability claims. Most importantly, the program reduced the waiting time for Americans seeking disability benefits.

Graduate School USA presents the W. Edwards Deming award annually to a federal government organization or a civilian or uniformed branch of the military. The award highlights an impressive workforce development and training initiative that has measurably improved the organization’s performance and impacted its mission.

The award’s namesake is Dr. W. Edwards Deming, who taught at the Graduate School for 20 years and is considered the father of Total Quality Management. Described as “the third stage of the Industrial Revolution,” Deming’s work incorporated the idea that employees at all levels of private industry and government have a responsibility to cooperate to improve products and services.

To learn more about Graduate School USA’s W. Edwards Deming Training Award, visit graduateschool.edu/deming.

About Graduate School USA

Dedicated to providing relevant learning opportunities in public service, Graduate School USA has served the DC metro community since 1921. An independent, not-for-profit accredited educational institution, the School is dedicated to academic excellence and lifelong learning. Services include individual assessments, career-related courses, certificate and degree programs, continuing education, and distance learning. Graduate School USA has recently expanded its mission to reflect a greater emphasis on preparing the residents of the District of Columbia for long-term careers. More information can be found at graduateschool.edu.