Increase SSI/SSDI Approval Rates
updates
Welcome
| 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.
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Recent Questions About SOAR
Q: Are there any sources of income that are not counted towards your SSI claim (i.e., VA Disability, Child Support)?
A.
Yes, there are a number of unearned income (e.g. income derived from a source other than working) exclusions in the SSI program. There is a comprehensive list here, with links to more information about each source: https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0500830099 . VA Disability payments are not...
Q: I received a notice with a patient’s alcohol and drug abuse records that I could not “further disclose” the information. How can I send them on to SSA?
A.
When providers of substance use services (drug and alcohol) release records, they are required to include the following notice from the CFR Title 42:2.32: “This information has been disclosed to you from records protected by Federal confidentiality rules (42 CFR part 2). The Federal rules prohibit...
Q: How do we find out how a client was previously denied? Do we request the reason for denial?
A.
Yes, we think you can obtain valuable insight into the reason an applicant was previously denied by reviewing the applicant’s electronic folder, or at minimum, obtaining the “Disability Determination Explanation” or denial notice. Most likely, you will have easy access to the denial notice from the...
Q: Is military deployment considered living overseas on question SSA-8000 15(a)?
A.
No, military deployments do not count as residency abroad.