Skip to main content

Icon faq FAQ

Find answers to frequently asked questions.

Question:
What is a SOAR Application?

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.

View
Question:
Do you have a suggested, ideal timeline for case workers to follow?

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.

View
Question:
I just went with someone to a consultative examination. When will we hear the decision on the application?

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.  

View
Question:
I am working with a man who remembers where he was born, but not his birth date. He knows a name for his mother, but does not know if it is her first or last name. How can I prove his identity?

My first recommendation would be to go with your client to the local SSA field office with whatever information you have been able to verify and that he is able to report. SSA can sometimes find someone's Social Security number with their name, DOB and parent's information. It often depends on how unique their name is and how easily they can narrow it down. SSA has a special provision to establish a new SSN for folks who are unable to identify themselves by reason of homelessness, amnesia or mental impairment.

The explanation in the SSA Program Operations Manual is at the following link: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0110210120!opendocument

You will want to talk to the local SSA office about taking the steps to go through this process if necessary.

View
Question:
Do SOAR providers screen applicants before helping them with their applications?

First and foremost we want to make sure that people who need our assistance with their SSI/SSDI applications get that assistance. That said, each provider has to make decisions about how many people they are able to serve and how many SOAR applications they complete. We recommend that when providers are not able to do a complete SOAR application with someone that they refer the individual to SSA and give them the tools to apply on their own or with another advocate.

View
Question:
Is there any place to find a completed sample of the SSA-8000-BK?

Yes, you can find samples of completed SSA forms here.

View
Question:
When submitting an online SSDI application, how do you identify it as a SOAR application?

You can type "This is a SOAR application" in the Remarks section.  You should also indicate whether the applicant is experiencing homelessness and any other clarifying remarks. 

View
Question:
What happens if you forget to put SOAR in remarks before you submit the online disability form?

If you forget to enter “SOAR” in the remarks sections of SSA forms, they may not be directed to the SOAR liaison at your local SSA office (if one has been identified). However, there are other ways you can indicate that the application was completed using the SOAR model, even after you have submitted the online disability report:

  1. Ensure that SOAR is written in the remarks section of the SSA-8000 (SSI application) that you deliver to your local SSA office;
  2. When you deliver the paper SSA forms to the local SSA office, notify the claims representative that you are using the SOAR process;
  3. Call the SOAR liaison at your local SSA office (if one has been identified) and notify him/her that you have submitted an application using the SOAR process.

Not all SSA offices have a SOAR liaison or know about the SOAR process. Remember that the most important part of the SOAR model is providing a complete, high-quality application with medical records and a Medical Summary Report (MSR). These elements, rather than the SOAR label on forms, will ensure that the application is processed efficiently by SSA and DDS.

View
Question:
Does an individual have to be homeless for SOAR to file for them?

SOAR is a model developed to help those who are experiencing or at-risk for homelessness, so they don’t need to fit the literal definition of homeless. At-risk for homelessness can include those who are in transitional housing, couch-surfing, exiting jails/institutions without somewhere to live, and those in permanent supportive housing who are entirely supported by grant funding.

Our Definitions of Homelessness page has further clarification on the definitions used by SOAR and SSA.

View
Question:
Is an individual trained in the SOAR model able to charge a fee for this service?

The expectation is that providers involved with SOAR do not charge persons applying for SSA disability benefits for their services. We work closely with providers to identify alternative sources of funding for their programs. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have identified various methods to fund SOAR activities that do not involve charging the applicant or collecting a fee from the applicant’s back pay. Resources related to SOAR funding and sustainability can be found in the SOAR Library.

View