Leland Dudek, who served briefly as Acting Commissioner of Social Security, is now Advisory Council Chair for Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD), a group founded not too long ago. ACRD is a rival to the much older National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR).
I am quite surprised to see Dudek linked in such a way to any Social Security organization that wishes to help claimants. I expect that Dudek sees himself as a friend to claimants and a supporter of Social Security but his tenure as Acting Commissioner was notable for his cooperation with DOGE and that permanently tarnished his reputation in the minds of most people who support the mission of the Social Security Administration.
33 comments:
If they hired him as OPFOR, it's smart.
Leland is a traitor and should be in jail for helping with the theft of our PII
Literal millions of people in this country and that’s the one they decided to go with?
The ACRD board members figured that having a former SSA commissioner on their staff would only help spread the word of disability advocacy. It would be wise to keep a close eye on this individual since he helped DOGE destroythe sSA agency DOGE gang and will deposed eventually. Not all publicity is good publicity.
Leland had better hope for a pardon after his involvement with the data security theft by DOGE
Leland deserves should be in jail for what he did to Maine. He better hope he gets a pardon.
My office enjoyed Leland’s tenure. He will be missed. Was much better than his predecessor and we know he will do great at his new job.
Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the new Chairman of the American Patriots Society, Benedict Arnold...
Your loyalty pledge has been signed. No need to go overboard with the delirious praise.
Charles, first, thank you for the shout-out. ACRD is doing important work, and I am glad to see more people learning about it. Anyone interested can learn more at "ACRD.org" (https://www.acrd.org). Readers can also find my views in my own words at "InPlainService.com" (https://inplainservice.com).
I understand your surprise, and I understand the skepticism. I did cooperate with DOGE. That is part of the public record, and some criticism of my tenure is deserved. I initially believed DOGE might help force overdue modernization at Social Security. I learned that I was wrong about much of what it intended to do. I made mistakes, pushed back at critical moments, and later spoke openly about both.
I will not ask anyone to forget those months or accept a sanitized version of them. You may be right that my reputation is permanently tarnished for some people. I cannot control that. I also do not believe a brief and difficult tenure should erase nearly two decades of public service or prevent me from doing useful work now.
My concern for claimants is not new. I have seen how administrative failures hurt real people. Claims sit unresolved, medical evidence goes missing, and disabled people wait while we argue at SSA and in government. My work with ACRD is focused on fixing those failures through better technology, improved access to medical evidence, and practical tools for representatives.
I also would not describe ACRD and NOSSCR as simple rivals. They have different structures and areas of emphasis. They may compete for members, but they have also formally collaborated. Helping claimants is not a zero-sum contest. Neither organization benefits from treating it as one.
I understand skepticism about me. Trust is not restored through a title or a carefully worded response. It must be earned through honest work over time. If people wish to judge my role with ACRD, I ask only that they judge what we actually build and whether it helps people with disabilities receive fair and timely decisions.
Sir, your two decades of Federal service mean nothing just like my 20years of service meant nothing in 2025. My opinion is anyone who could allow the theft of our personal data in 2025 isn’t fit for public service. Who hired you back so I can complain to my Representatives?
Are you in the Mea Culpa tour? Why aren’t you preparing for your court appearances? There might be a new sheriff at the House of Representatives come January 2027. Lawyer up!
You’re a hero, Leland. Don’t listen to them. You avoided massive layoffs, helped remove unlawful DEI workers, created transparency, and played the chess match with others. History will smile fondly upon you.
Enjoy your cushy grift until you’re prosecuted in 2029. Stop talking about earning trust back until you and Elon have both paid for your crimes with jail time. 10-20 years.
Leland, go F yourself. Employees hate you. You should be in prison. And then rot in hell for everything you’ve domlne to the employees. I wish you the worst. E V E R Y S I N G L E DAY. You’re not a proponent of disability rights. You took that away from the employees. I hope you keep stepping on legos and have ED that viagra can’t cure for the rest of your life. Your actions at SSA worsened the disability wait time and now you want to be an advocate? This is unbelievable!!!!
I am gagging at the use of the word "trust." What a tone deaf response from a loser with an inflated ego. Dude - you ignored your bosses, ignored your duties as a public servant, screwed over employees with superior knowledge and ethics, gleefully led the baby foxes into the henhouse, and then fed those foxes chicken that you personally cooked them for dinner. I am hopeful that this will all come back to haunt you. Your reputation is crap and you deserve severe consequences. In the meanwhile, the organization that hired you really needs to think about what message they are sending. You personally helped steal the private information of Americans and you need to be held accountable.
Shut up, Leland!
Well I guess the comments show why Charles, SSA employees and claimants' attorneys/reps alike are both surprised (and cringing) to see Mr. Dudek associated with an organization claiming to protect claimants and enhance attorneys'/reps' ability to represent claimants. Maybe start to protect claimants by not letting a SSA pariah into your organization? Not a good look at all. It is a shame too b/c ACRD started off with some impressive momentum by securing Biden to speak at their conference in 2025. That was def a mic drop moment, especially for a newer organization and I think people were excited to see what they would bring to the table. I am sure NOSSCR won't be too worried about losing membership to ACRD anytime soon after this addition to the ACRD Council. Give ACRD time. Trial and error will hopefully help them figure out a way to help claimants without putting a wolf in the henhouse. I like to think that Mr. Dudek is remorseful and humbled for the poor choices he made (it does sound like he takes some responsibility ), so may he find peace and grace himself. It is just too soon for the SSA community to forget what transpired with DOGE to see his name associated with SSA advocacy.
Go straight to hell, Leland. And take the incompetent scoundrel you put in charge of OHO with you. Burn, motherf**kers, burn! Then get ass cancer and burn some more!
Genuine question Lee: would you consider coming back to the agency for seconds? We’re all healing from the chaos, I’m sure you are too. Our team wishes you well.
Dudek was a puppet who inappropriately engaged with DOGE which led to him being noticed by the Administration to then be acting commissioner. He was the instrument of destruction that won’t be undone for many, many years, if ever. By the time he realized he was just a pawn, it was too late.
Agree with 3:38pm in 2025 my 20 years of programmatic knowledge and experience was cast aside. Shame on you Lee and I worked with you in OTSO. Your reputation is permanently tarnished.
Dudek and ACRID are both corrupt failures trying to keep each other afloat.
Most accurate comment yet. Agreed!
All I will say about him...Dudek needs to be held accountable for what he did.
There is nothing Dudek can do to atone for the destruction he unleashed on SSA.
@ 5:55 this idiot wasn’t a puppet. On his own he sent internal Agency documentation to Doge prior to their onboarding at the Agency. He was being investigated for that activity before becoming fake Commissioner. Dudek’s security clearance should have been revoked immediately in 2025. He should be unemployable based on his own actions and lack of morality.
You wonder why he’s teaming up with ACRD? Couldn’t be to cash in on that sweet appointed representative cash money, could it? Not when the board members are the same representatives and attorneys who are paid millions upon millions in attorney fees each year?
https://www.acrd.org/about/board-members
https://www.ssa.gov/foia/resources/proactivedisclosure/2025/FY2024%20Top%20500%20Rep%20Names.pdf
Thomas Newton was paid $8.7+ million in 2024; Erika Riggs was paid $1.4+ million in 2024; Carrie Burton represents Midwest Disability, whose top attorney, F. Anthony Mannella was paid $6.9 million in 2024; Jaqueline Gragg, whose company JG Disability Services boasts 500+ ‘wins’; and Alexander Sioutis was pod $8.6+ million in 2024.
With your grandiose thinking, my guess is you have an untreated personality disorder. Please get help. You thought that you alone could save SSA. Instead you helped bring it to its knees. You need to accept that and it doesn’t sound like you have. Every day is a new fresh hell for those of us that stayed to fight. We are tired, but we are keeping the thing running as best we can until sanity is restored. If you really cared, you’d be working to undo the damage you caused. But it’s easier to break things than to fix them.
I'm not sure why you are still posting about Leland. I don't think about him at all.
I am appalled at the audacity of Leland’s commentary. Go crawl
back under your rock
you scumbag traitor.
Leland will be held accountable if its not during this administration it will before that, maybe at the mid terms. Justice will be served.
Thanks, Leland. Some heroes don't wear capes.
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