Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for reducing the operating stresses in a disk of a gas turbine engine while providing a seal plate to minimize leakage of a cooling fluid from the blades positioned in the disk. The seal plate is fastened to a tang of one or more of the blades. The seal plate configuration can be utilized with a newly manufactured disk and blades or with a modification to an existing disk and blades. The disk, blade, and seal plate configuration reduce operating stresses in the disk that are caused by mechanical loading on the disk by one or more rotating blades.