AmericanDreamEN.org

ADEN MEMBER ORIENTATION

Training for new ADEN MembersEstimated time: 1.5 hour

AmericanDreamEN.org

Please introduce

yourself!

Here we are!

Co-Directors

American Dream

Employment

Network

Kevin Nickerson &

Mary

Lynn ReVoir

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AGENDA

1. ADEN introduction and highlights2. ADEN Training Plan3. Ticket to Work Basics 4. EN Payments 5. Documentation of services 6. ADEN Website and snapshot of ADEN portal7. Security Awareness8. Suitability and Security Clearance Process

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1. ADEN INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS AND HIGHLIGHTS

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SNAPSHOT

• An innovative solution designed to help individuals receiving SSI or SSDI benefits move forward to long-term financial stability

• Approved by the Social Security Ticket to Work program

• A network of agencies across the country providing face-to-face employment services and supports to everyone who participates

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NATIONAL DISABILITY INSTITUTE (NDI)

• NDI is a national leader with a mission to improve the economic future for American’s with disabilities.

• NDI Core Competencies

Tax Preparation Financial Education Asset

Development

Employment Public Benefits Planning

Public Policy

• NDI has various other services addressing better economic future:

• Engagement with Public Policy development

• Create tools and resources related to Financial Wellness

• Provides training and technical assistance for various national and local projects

(US DOL Disability Employment Initiative, US DOL LEAD Center)

• Development of Real Economic Impact (REI) Network which you are invited to join

https://ndiinc.formstack.com/forms/signup

• ADEN is a division of National Disability Institute

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ADEN KEY PLAYERS

• ADEN is about creating a better economic future for Americans with disabilities

• ADEN is about excellence and achieving outcomes

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ADEN CORE PHILOSOPHY

• ADEN sparks opportunity for all Americans to build and work in a career of their choice.

• ADEN values the contributions Americans with disabilities can bring to the workforce and recognizes the strength a business draws from a diverse workforce.

• ADEN brings hope to individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits by sharing our knowledge and information to elevate your skills and talents.

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ADEN CORE SERVICES # 1 AND #2

• Career Counseling (required by Ticket program)• Individuals interests, talents, skills

• Predictions of job security

• Promote well-being

• Job Search Supports (required by Ticket program)• Improving job skills

• Develop skills for positive working relationships with co-workers and

supervisors

• Crafting quality resumes, interview answers, employment application forms

• Examine job shadows and attendance at job fairs

• Building a network of support to locate and maintain a job

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ADEN CORE SERVICES #3 AND #4

• Social Security Work Incentives Guidance• SSA Work Incentives requires specialized training

• ADEN will train all Members on SSA Work Incentives in order to

support Participants

• Critical to success of moving on to financial wellness

• Financial Wellness • Financial health assessment and financial planning resources to

help build a solid foundation for your future

• Financial planning connects Participant goals with work effort

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ADEN CORE SERVICES #5 AND #6

• Connection to Employers • Marry the demand (Employers) to the supply (Participants)

• Members and ADEN administration act as bridge

• Ongoing recruitment of ADEN Partners

• Long-term Support on the Job (required by Ticket program)

• Everyone can use a job coach on occasion

• Changes on the job are guaranteed

• Periodic contact between Member and Participant while employed

proves to sustain employment

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2. ADEN TRAINING PLAN

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ADEN TRAINING PLAN

1. Orientation - all new Members must complete

2. Core Services training - all new Members must complete

• Core Services A, B, C – attend them in sequential order

Note Core B is Beneficiary Outreach Event

• Upon completion receive “ADEN EN Training Completion” certificate

3. Advanced Training: Huddle and Advanced Training

• Held during monthly webinar called the ADEN Huddle

• All Members are required to attend at least one per calendar quarter

4. Ongoing available technical assistance as needed

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MEMBER TRAINING CHECKLIST

• You are responsible to track your ADEN training using Member Training Checklist

• Checklist posted in ADEN Resources

• Training notices:

• Under Training on ADEN website

• Email notification posting monthly training calendars

• Training conducted via webinar venue; need computer with internet access to participate

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3. TICKET TO WORK BASICS

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TICKET TO WORK AND WORK INCENTIVES IMPROVEMENT ACT

• Passed by congress in 1999 • Medicaid Buy-In Programs • Work Incentive Planning and Assistance projects• Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency employment program

• Ticket supports Ticket Holders in becoming self-sufficient through employment

• Ticket Holders are qualified Social Security Disability Beneficiaries ages 18 to 64, receiving Title XVI and/or Title II benefits (SSI or SSDI)

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EN ACRONYMS

CDR Continuing Disability Review

EN Employment Network

IWP Individual Work Plan

TPM Ticket Program Manager

PII Personal Identifiable Information

SGA Substantial Gainful Activity

SSA Social Security Administration

SSDI Social Security Disability Insurance

SSI Supplemental Security Income

TPR Timely Progress Review

TWL Trial Work Level

VR (state) Vocational Rehabilitation

EN Acronyms are posted in ADEN Resources.

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GOALS OF TICKET PROGRAM

• Self-Sufficiency: Decrease the Ticket Holder’s dependence on their cash benefits by increasing their earnings to a substantial level of employment and ultimately, to assist Ticket Holder in achieving self-sufficiency

• Choice: Employment Networks (ENs) offer another level of choice to Social Security beneficiaries

• Increased need for exemplary customer service in providing rehabilitation services is important, especially as more EN providers become available

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FROM THE BENEFICIARY'S PERSPECTIVE

• This is a voluntary program - As a Ticket Holder, I do not have to participate.

• Provides Ticket Holders with CHOICE – As a Ticket Holder, I decide who I assign my Ticket to based upon who I feel can best provide the services I need.

• Ensures continued employment support – As a Ticket Holder, I know you will continue to provide me support beyond the time that Vocational Rehabilitation permits in some cases.

• Actively participating in the Ticket program suspends a Ticket Holder’s medical Continuing Disability Review – As a Ticket Holder, I can avoid the stress of a continuing disability review as long as I making progress towards self-sufficiency

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WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF TICKET PROGRAM?

Beneficiary reviews

options and choses EN

(or VR)

Beneficiary and EN

together develop

IWP

Ticket is assigned

and services

begin

Beneficiary begins earning

wages that qualify for

EN Payment

EN receives payment from SSA

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STATE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION (VR)

• When a beneficiary is served by VR, a case is opened, and his/her

Ticket is considered “in USE” with VR and cannot be assigned to EN

• Typically VR closes the case after 90 days of employment

• After the VR case is closed, the individual can (and should) assign

his/her Ticket with an EN

• It is not required for individual to get VR services; beneficiary have

choice to assign Ticket to EN and never use VR or use both.

• Payments made to VR and EN are discussed later in this training

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4. EN PAYMENTS

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TICKET REVENUE

• An EN receives payments from SSA, when beneficiary achieves eligible payment thresholds

• ADEN shares the Ticket Revenue with Members serving the respective Participant who met eligible payment

• Ticket revenue • Does not conflict with Medicaid funded services. SSA and CMS has

written statement if needed.

• Is not program income for the public workforce system.

• Is flexible; there are no restrictions

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2015 PAYMENT AT GLANCE

https://yourtickettowork.com/documents/855575/855865/PaymentsAtaGlance_2015.pdf/c30e3cee-fb85-4b7c-b5f8-6a1274067b3b

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EN PAYMENT STRUCTURE

• Phase I (4 Milestones)• Job Placement

• SSA recognizes some Beneficiaries will begin with part-time work

• Threshold is based on current year Trial Work level

• Same payment amount regardless of benefit type

• Phase II (Milestones)• Threshold is working at current year Substantial Gainful Activity level

• Number of Milestone payments vary based on benefit type

• Beneficiary may still be in receipt of cash benefits

• Outcomes • Threshold is “$0 cash benefit”

• Number of Outcome payments vary based on benefit type

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EVENTS THAT IMPACT PAYMENTS

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• Recent Work Activity• Work at or above applicable Trial Work Level earnings ($780 in

2015) within 18 months “prior to Ticket assignment” may

impact some or all of Phase I payments

• 18-month Prior Earnings Tool demonstrates how recent work

history affects payments: https://

yourtickettowork.com/web/ttw/resource-documents

• Successful case closure with State VR • NO Phase I payments are available to the EN

• Cost Reimbursement for VR Agencies is discussed in later training

• Individual Ticket payment history • Payments are related to the Beneficiary regardless of assigned EN

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EVALUATING INTENT

• Per SSA direction, an EN should NOT assign a Ticket if the Beneficiary has no intention of, or ability to, work at a level that would eventually allow them to successfully leave the benefits rolls

• This is referred to as “parking”

• It is common for a Beneficiary to enter the workforce by working part-time and move to full-time once they build up their stamina

• Can qualify an EN for initial Phase 1 Milestone payments

• Remember, the goal is for Beneficiaries to continue making progress towards self-supporting employment

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EPAY

1. Beneficiaries must report wages

• “Wage Reporting Fact Sheet for SSA Disability Beneficiaries” from NDI under Resources

• SSI Wage Reporting tool from SSA

2. ePay relies on wages record in national wage records• SSA examines wage records and identifies possible earnings that meet or exceed the two

EN payment thresholds

• Wage records are quarterly records

• Target is 3 x TWL or SGA

• Look back also at the previous 8 quarters

3. SSA Ticket Payment team investigates and verifies from the local SSA field office

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PROCESS OF PAYMENTS

ADEN Members receive 80% / ADEN Administration receive 20%

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SSA authorizes payments for qualifying wages and notifies U.S. Department of Treasury

U.S. Treasury releases payment as deposit to EN bank account

EN is notified of payment (amount, type, and SSN)

Monthly, ADEN Administration records receipt of payments to assigned ADEN Member

Quarterly, ADEN Administration will authorize payments to ADEN Member

NDI will electronically deposit EN Payment in respective Member bank account

ADEN Members will have report of EN Payments in the ADEN Portal

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EXAMPLE OF THE TIMING OF EN PAYMENTS

• Beneficiary earns $1,300 in month of October 2014

• Employers have up to 30 days after the quarter to report

earnings, which would be January 2015

• Earliest SSA can find this wage record is February 2015

• Payments team verifies wages during Feb-Mar 2015

• U.S. Treasury informed to release payment during

March/April 2015 (5-6 months after the qualifying wage

earned)

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OVERPAYMENTS ANDMISSED PAYMENTS

• Overpayments can occur • SSA notifies EN and provides repayment options

• If ADEN Member receives overpayment, steps to recoup the payment from ADEN Member will be in accordance with terms noted on the PSA

• Possible missed payments • If ADEN Member feels payments are not being captured by ePay, they are

responsible for notifying ADEN Administration

• ADEN Administration may pursue manual payment requests under these circumstances

• Circumstances wage records do not capture• Self-employment

• Some federal agencies, i.e., Department of Defense

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WHAT ARE RECONCILIATION PAYMENTS

• Wages earned by Participants may quickly advance to SGA level before all of the Milestone payments have been collected, which transitions EN to Outcome payments

• If this occurs, it is possible to recoup all Milestones that have not yet been paid to ADEN

• SSA will examine any Milestone payments which are still available, and provide them in one payment to ADEN, if/when the Participant achieves the 12th Outcome

• This sum payment is referred to as the Reconciliation Payment

• 80 percent of the Payment will be distributed to the respective Member

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5. EVIDENCE OF ADEN SERVICES

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DOCUMENTING SERVICES

• SSA requires EN to document services quarterly, at a minimum. SSA does not have prescribed documentation styles or content.

• ADEN requires Members to document services per Professional Services Agreement (PSA)

• Services vary depending on job development (searching) or job placement (starting new job) or ongoing employment (long-term employment supports).

• Job Development = more intensive service / more frequent contact / more documentation. Minimum requirement is monthly contact, but likely more often – please document notes monthly.

• Job Placement = naturally intense when new job / recommended monthly contact – please document notes monthly.

• Long-term Employment Supports = Minimum requirement is quarterly – document accordingly.

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ADEN MEMBER SUPPORT OF CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

• Evidence: Types and Storage

• Evidence will be uploaded and stored in secured ADEN portal

• Case Notes, IWP, BPQY, etc.

• Employment information (name employer, start date, hourly rate, etc.)

• Evidence is necessary when SSA requests information

• SSA random audits

• Annual Performance Outcomes Reporting and Timely Progress Reviews

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6. ADEN WEBSITE

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THE ADEN SITE (WEBSITE AND PORTAL)

ADEN Website www.americandreamen.org

• Receive email invitation to log into the American Dream EN website using you newly created account.

• You are given temporary password / need to reset password to one of your choice.

• Only have access to trainings and resources.• A user manual will be sent to you after this training.

ADEN Portal• Same log in to access ADEN portal.• Not permitted to make any entries until you have Security

Clearance and complete portal training, which is at end of Core Training.

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7. SECURITY AWARENESS

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PROTECTION OF PERSONAL IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

• Personal Identifiable Information (PII)• SSA required training for all personnel who are actively engaged in the handling

and storage of PII

• PII is defined as any piece of information that can identify a person

• PII includes Social Security Number, date of birth, name and address, etc.

• In accordance with the ADEN Professional Services Agreement, any hard copy record with PII used for ADEN business operations must be kept in a secure, locked file cabinet or electronically in the secured ADEN portal. This applies to both the ADEN Member and ADEN Administration.

• All written communication that includes PII exchanged between ADEN Member and ADEN Administration will be conducted through the secured ADEN portal, unless directed to use fax or phone.

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ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES

• All ADEN Members Point of Contact will have access to the secured ADEN portal.

• The ADEN Co-Directors are authorized by SSA for additional security to gain access to the Ticket portal.

• Only ADEN Administration will communicate about ADEN contractual business with federal SSA office

• ADEN Members will have contact with local SSA field offices for benefits and work incentive advisement purposes

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REQUIRED SECURITY AWARENESS TRAINING

• SSA requires all EN staff to receive training provided via a form called SSA 222

• Training is required for new ADEN Member Point of Contacts and every January thereafter

• The training covers nine points, including:• Keeping information confidential and safeguarding information

• Agreeing not to share or disclose confidential information

• Direct questions to the ADEN Contracting Security Officer Kevin Nickerson

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CERTIFICATION OF SECURITY AWARENESS TRAINING

• Once you have read, understand and agree with all of the SSA Security Awareness Training requirements noted on SSA 222, the following actions are needed:

• ADEN Member needs to scan and email the signed SSA 222 to Kevin

Nickerson at knickerson@ndi-inc.org

• ADEN Administration will complete the requirement to notify SSA

Security Awareness team.

• ADEN Administration will file your signed certification of training.

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8. SUITABILITY AND SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS

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SUITABILITY AND SECURITY CLEARANCE

• Suitability and Security Clearance is required for all ADEN Member Point of Contacts so information can be exchanged between SSA and ADEN and then back to ADEN Members

• The guide, “ADEN Members: Process to Request Suitability and Security Clearance” will assist you with this process

• The process has numerous steps and will take weeks to complete; however, you only need to go through this process once.

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SUITABILITY AND SECURITY CLEARANCE

• The process is an extensive background check. If your history includes an extensive poor background contact ADEN Administration before proceeding.

• After all the steps are complete, SSA makes a determination if you are suitable or not. Unless someone has a severe poor background, most people receive a favorable decision.

• We are here to help you if any problems occur during this process. Contact Kevin or Mary Lynn if you have any problems and we will address them together.

• You are not permitted to contact SSA unless directed by ADEN Administration.

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GETTING STARTED: SUITABILITY AND SECURITY CLEARANCE

• Refer to the ADEN Member Suitability and Security Clearance Guide

• Step 1: You need to provide us with the following information: Your full name, SSN, Date of Birth and City and State of Birth.

• This information is needed for ADEN Administration to fax a formal request to SSA to start the suitability and security clearance process.

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STEP 2 & 3: WAITING AND COMPLETING THE EQIP

• While waiting for your eQIP invitation, review the information about eQIP at http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf85.pdf.

• ADEN Administration will receive an email from SSA inviting you to complete eQIP, which we will immediately forward to you.

• You must login within 7 days after receipt of the email. After the initial login, you will have 14 days to complete the process before the link will expire. (Do not let this link expire.)

• Once all questions in the eQIP form are completed and the applicant has validated, reviewed and certified the form:

• Print, sign and date the eQIP signature pages

• Make a copy of all pages

• Place the original pages into an envelope

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STEP 4: DECLARATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT OPTIONAL FORM 306

• Applicant must print Declaration for Federal Employment Optional Form 306.

• You are not employed by the federal government, but this standard form is used to conduct a background check.

• The website link to the form is on the guide.

• Once the form is completed:

• Sign the form

• Make a copy of all papers

• Place the originals into the SSA envelope with the eQIP papers

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STEP 5: FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT AUTHORIZATION FORM

• Applicant must print Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization Form

• The website link to the form is on the guide

• Once the form is completed:

• Sign the form

• Make a copy of all papers

• Place the originals into the envelope with the eQIP papers and

Declaration for Federal Employment

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STEP 6: FINGERPRINT CHARTS

• ADEN Director will mail you Field Division-258 charts.

• Only 2 will be sent to SSA; the others are a spare if needed

• You can only get these fingerprint charts from ADEN and can only use these specific charts.

• Schedule an appointment with your local law enforcement office to get your fingerprints marked on the charts.

• Note: There might be a minimal fee for this service, which is the responsibility of the ADEN Member to pay.

• Place both of the 2 charts in the envelope.

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STEP 7: SUBMISSION OF ALL DOCUMENTS TO SSA

• Collect all of the forms

• Print out and complete the eQIP Paperwork Cover Sheet provided by ADEN

• Check that all of the required information is completed

• Place all originals into the envelope, including the eQIP Paperwork Cover Sheet

• Check you have copies all materials except for the fingerprint charts

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MAIL THE PACKET

• Address the envelope to:

Social Security Administration

Attention: CPSPM Suitability Program Officer

6401 Security Boulevard

Room 1260 Dunleavy Building

Baltimore, MD 21235

• Mail the packet by traceable mail (i.e., FedEx, UPS or USPS Certified)

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STEP 8: NOTIFICATION

• ADEN Member will immediately email ADEN Administration the date the packet was mailed to SSA.

• ADEN Administration will notify the SSA EN Specialist via email that the eQIP Paperwork Cover Sheet and Packet was sent to SSA.

• Once processed by SSA, ADEN Administration will be notified via email letter the results of the request.

• ADEN Administration will forward the letter of determination to the ADEN Member.

• ADEN Administration will retain a copy of the letter for EN operations, as well as the ADEN Member and you.

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SUMMARY

1. ADEN introduction and highlights

2. ADEN Training Plan

3. Ticket to Work Basics

4. EN Payments

5. Documentation of services

6. ADEN Website and snapshot of ADEN portal

7. Security Awareness

8. Suitability and Security Clearance Process

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NEXT STEPS

• Sign, scan and email Kevin (knickerson@ndi-inc.org) SSA 222 form

• Start suitability and security clearance request by giving Kevin information

• Join the next scheduled ADEN Huddle

• Join upcoming Core Services training

• Respond to the email invitation to log into ADEN website and reset your password.

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CONTACT US

ADEN Co-Directors

Mary Lynn ReVoir Kevin Nickerson mlrevoir@ndi-inc.orgknickerson@ndi-inc.org563.568.7112 607.589.7651