FAQ

It depends! In many DDS offices the consultative exam (CE) examiners are allowed 30 days to file their report/evaluation after the exam.  They may or may not be turned in on time. Once the DDS examiner gets the report it may take some time to finish their recommendation and transfer it to the physician at DDS who will review the case. This can sometimes happen very quickly or, when there are backlogs, it may take a few days, weeks or longer.  We would recommend that the case manager call the DDS examiner to see whether the CE report has been submitted and whether they can provide any other needed information.  

Yes, the SOAR Online Application Tracking (OAT) program is fully HIPAA compliant. The system does not collect any personally identifying information about applicants during any part of the process. When users add a new applicant to the database, they create a unique applicant ID. The use of this ID avoids the need for personally identifiable information and helps prevent case duplication.

The ID is a 10-digit alphanumeric in the following format: xx00xx0000 (2 letters/2numbers/2 letters/4 numbers). It can be any letters and numbers you choose - just be sure to note it in your hard copy records.

Additional demographic information collected about an applicant is limited to age (without birthdate) and gender.

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 assisting the applicant. You can read more about the fee petition on the SSA website and see the form that is filed: http://www.ssa.gov/representation/fee_petitions.htm. SSA will determine whether or not the representative is granted the entire fee or a partial fee. 

The Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program is administered by the Center for Mental Health Services, a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). PATH is a formula grant to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are nearly 600 local organizations that provide PATH services. PATH provides services to people with serious mental illness, including those with co-occurring substance use disorders, who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

PATH and SOAR programs directly complement each other’s work and nearly half of the SOAR State Team Leads are also the State PATH Contacts. The PATH program’s objective to connect individuals to mental health services and stable housing is more easily accomplished when people who are homeless have access to the income and health insurance that comes with Social Security benefits. SOAR provides PATH case managers the tools necessary to expedite access to these benefits, resulting in improved housing and treatment outcomes.

Read more: PATH and SOAR Overview

Yes! Please see Steps to Completing an Initial SOAR SSI/SSDI Application. This guide is intended to help you complete a SOAR SSI/SSDI application in stages so that you aren’t overwhelmed.

The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center considers a "SOAR application" to be one in which all (or most) of the SOAR critical components are done. These include serving as the person's representative with the SSA-1696, collecting medical records and writing a Medical Summary Report documenting the person's functional impairment. If the SOAR provider is unable to get all of the records or is unable to get the Medical Summary Report signed by a treating physician, it would still be counted as a SOAR application because all was done that could be done.

Read more about SOAR application critical components.