Increase SSI/SSDI Approval Rates
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| COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR SOAR PROVIDERS |
SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is a national program designed to increase access to the disability income benefit programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) for eligible adults and children who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder.
Watch the video below and then read more about SOAR!
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Recent Questions About SOAR
Q: If an applicant wants to "fire" their attorney, will they have to pay them a fee?
A.
Generally when an attorney is fired after the individual has signed the SSA-1696 (and possibly other binding documents with the attorney), the attorney has to file a fee petition with SSA defending their right to be paid. The attorney/representative must detail what services were performed while...
Q: If someone might be eligible for unemployment but is also unable to continue working, should he apply for unemployment or SSI?
A.
If he is eligible for unemployment and the amount is more than $733* then he should take the higher amount (unemployment) as long as he can. The medical approval for SSI will last for 12 months, so if the unemployment only lasts a few months then he can always go into SSA, reapply for SSI (the non-...
Q: My client has not been completely honest with hospital staff because he "does not trust people." Therefore, his medical records do not show all of his illnesses. Should I send all of the records I have, or just the parts that actually show his illnesses?
A.
You should definitely send all of the medical records. SSA has a rule called the “All Evidence Rule” which requires applicants (through their representative) to submit all medical information known, which includes knowledge of impairment and/or treatment sources. Here is a link for more information.
Q: What is considered a medical impairment? (i.e. Global developmental Delay in a child under the age of 5?)
A.
SSA’s definition of disability differs from a solely medical definition in that it encompasses the child’s ability to function as compared with the functional abilities of a child of the same age who does not have impairments. According to SSA, a medically determinable physical or mental impairment...