FAQ

It's never been too long! You are welcome to submit your documents for the SOAR Online Course practice case at any time and the system will never time you out.

If you have specific questions about your practice case, email them to soaronline@prainc.com.

The CEUs offered by the SOAR Online Course are approved by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

SSA can start payments more quickly than usual in four different types of situations:

• Presumptive Disability (PD) or presumptive blindness (PB) payment: Based on the severity of the condition and the likelihood that the claim will be approved, SSA may make payments for up to 6 months while DDS makes a final decision. This is not based on financial need.
• Emergency advance payment: A one-time advance payment to new claimants who "face a financial emergency and who are due SSI benefits that are delayed or not received"
• Immediate payment: An immediate payment to new claimants and SSI recipients whose benefits are delayed or not received and who face a financial emergency."
• Expedited reinstatement cases: If benefits are terminated because of excess earned income or a combination of earned and unearned income, claimants can request to have benefits started again without having to complete a new application.

We recommend visiting SSA's website to find out more: Understanding SSI - Expedited Payments (ssa.gov)

Yes, as long as you successfully complete the practice case component of the SOAR Online Course, you will receive a certificate of completion. It comes with 20 CEUs from the National Association of Social Workers for those who are licensed, but the course is open and available for those who are not licensed.

If an individual becomes disabled before the age of 22 and one of his/her parents is either deceased or receives disability or retirement benefits, the "Disabled Adult Child" may receive benefits based on their parent's earnings record. SSA has an easy to use FAQ page about this topic: https://www.ssa.gov/planners/disability/qualify.html

All of the forms required for the SOAR online course are located in Class 1 Practice Case page, “Meet your Client”. Right-click on each file, choose "Save Target As" (or "Save Link As"), and save in an easily-accessible location on your computer. The forms may also be opened as pdfs and then completed and saved. The course will instruct you on when each form needs to be completed and uploaded to the website. If you have any trouble uploading the completed forms, you can see our Troubleshooting Tips.

If you are looking to download and complete SSA forms outside of the SOAR Online Course, many forms can be found in our Library or on the SSA website.

When you log-in to the SOAR website, go to your Profile page.  There, you will see a link to access the Certificate of Completion that was e-mailed to you when you passed the course.

All complete packets submitted to SOAR TA Center will be reviewed within 10 business days. If your application packet is complete and without major errors or omissions, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. If there are significant errors/omissions, you will be invited to revise your packet and resubmit it for a second review. Once we receive your updated documents, you will hear from us within 7 business days. If the errors/omissions have been corrected, you will receive a Certificate of Completion.

From the perspective of the SAMHSA SOAR TA center, there is no expiration date. Since you have passed the SOAR Online Course and received a Certificate of Completion, you are “SOAR-trained.” While we do not require additional training or re-certification, we do recommend visiting our website frequently and attending our webinars/SOARing Over Lunch calls, etc., to stay up-to-date on SSA policy changes and learn about new or updated SOAR resources.

With that being said, there may be training/certification requirements in your state or community.  We recommend reaching out to your State Team Lead or your SAMHSA SOAR TA Center Liaison. They will be able to provide additional assistance and connect you with leads in your area. You can find their contact information on your your state's SOAR page.

We estimate that it will take 16-20 hours to complete the Online Course.  This includes the completion of the Practice Case in which you will submit an SSI/SSDI application packet for a fictitious client to the SOAR TA Center.