[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 21782-21783] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO MARY JEAN DUCKETT ______ HON. NATHAN DEAL of georgia in the house of representatives Friday, September 29, 2006 Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Mary Jean Duckett. Ms. Duckett served as the Deputy Director of the Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group (DEHPG) within the Center for Medicaid and State Operations at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and retired on March 3, 2006 after 39 years of distinguished Federal service. More than half of her career was dedicated to the Medicaid program at CMS, and I rise in honor of her service. Ms. Duckett served as a champion for people with disabilities and long-term illness to live meaningful lives in the community. She worked tirelessly to ensure Medicaid beneficiaries received effective and high quality services. Most recently, her skillful and seasoned insight was of great assistance to the Energy and Commerce Committee during the development of home and community-based care legislation, including the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration that was passed as part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Ms. Duckett can be proud that her work on this legislation will have a significant impact on the lives of many people with disabilities and enable them to live and work in the community. Ms. Duckett started her career in the Social Security Administration working the graveyard shift as a secretary so she could attend college full-time during the day. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and then went on to earn a Master's degree in Social Policy while still working full-time and raising two children with her husband. Using this education and her experience, she worked her way up into the CMS management team as the Director of the Division of Benefits Coverage and Payment in DEHPG within the Center for Medicaid and State Operations and eventually became the DEHPG Deputy Director. She provided national leadership in increasing care options for individuals with disabilities by assisting states and others stakeholders in designing financially sound Medicaid programs that emphasize long-term services and supports that foster choice and opportunity for full participation in community life, including independent living, economic self-sufficiency and recovery for individuals of all ages. Ms. Duckett served as a pioneer in helping states provide alternatives to institutional settings. She is part of the foundation upon which the home--and community-based service (HCBS) program in CMS has been built. The HCBS program was created in 1981, and she contributed to the development, approval, and implementation of each of the approximately [[Page 21783]] 290 home and community based programs operating throughout all 50 states today. The wealth of knowledge she developed will continue to benefit individuals with disabilities and long-term illnesses across the country every day. Ms. Duckett's expertise was invaluable and extensive, and her commitment to serving individuals with disabilities and long-term illness served as a model for people that worked for her. She provided an infallible sense of public service, and she always put other people first. Her contributions will be carried on as further steps are taken towards improving or maintaining the ability of individuals to contribute to society in a setting of their choice, averting deterioration in individuals' functional status, and reducing the likelihood that individuals with disability and the elderly will need institutional care. On behalf of the million plus people living in the community of their choosing instead of an institution, who may never know who she is, or how directly and fundamentally her work impacted them, I sincerely hope that you will join me in recognizing and thanking Mary Jean Duckett for her dedication and service to the Federal Government, and in wishing her the best in her retirement. ____________________