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Find answers to frequently asked questions.

Question:
What is the PATH Program?

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

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Question:
Is the SOAR Online Application Tracking (OAT) Program HIPAA Compliant?

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.

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Question:
I saw SOAR training on our Continuum of Care (CoC) application. Should my CoC get involved with SOAR?

Absolutely! The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care Program (CoC) plays a key role in ending homelessness in communities and states. HUD’s description of the program includes: “The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, and State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness” (emphasis added)

SOAR is critical in HUD’s mission to promote access to Social Security disability benefits for individuals with disabling conditions. This access helps promote housing stability and prevents future homelessness for these individuals. As a result, SOAR should be included in local CoC plans to end homelessness.

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Question:
How can I get our local hospital involved in our SOAR effort?
Question:
Can we get funding from the SOAR TA Center to pay for SOAR in our organization?

The SOAR TA Center does not have funds available to pay for SOAR in local organizations and there is no dedicated source of funding for SOAR programs. And yet, all 50 states participate in SOAR at some level by reallocating existing resources; by securing funding through federal and state grants or foundation funding; or by establishing collaborations with hospitals and criminal justice systems.

To support local organizations, the SOAR TA Center developed resources and tools for funding and sustainability, based on best practices from SOAR programs around the country. The SOAR TA Center also maintains a webpage dedicated to upcoming funding opportunities, which is updated frequently with new resources.

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Question:
My agency received a bill for medical records. What should we do if we do not have funding available to pay the bill?

Most states have laws that regulate what health care providers can charge individuals for copies of their medical records. However, these rules do not necessarily apply to providers requesting records. In addition, some states provide an exception for records needed to apply for a disability benefits program and stipulate that they be provided at no-cost. For more information on state statutes and regulations regarding the collection of fees for medical records, click here.

If your state does not require a fee-waiver, we recommend contacting the director of the medical records department and advocating for or negotiating one. Explain that the individual is homeless and that you, as a mutual provider, are unable to pay for the records. Let the director know that the records will be used for a disability application and that, upon approval, the individual will likely be eligible for Medicaid and/or Medicare benefits that will pay for uncompensated care that the provider has given as well as future care that is provided. Therefore, it is in the provider’s best interest for the individual’s application to be well supported and documented as an approval may lead to retroactive and future reimbursements.

In addition, offer to the director of the medical records department that you would be happy to write a letter to the administrator of his/her agency regarding how helpful the director has been as well as the potential financial recoupment that such collaboration will mean to the provider.

If they are unwilling to waive the fees, try contacting United Way or other community action agencies that may be able to pay all or part of the bill.

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Question:
What is the rate of approval for applicants who do not use SOAR? The statistics appear positive but would be more useful if shown in comparison to the overall population of those applying and/or those who do not use SOAR.

Great question! Check out our most up-to-date National Outcomes to see how SOAR-assisted applications compare to those without SOAR assistance.

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Question:
What are your recommendations if the client does not have enough medical documentation to support their illness ?

To meet SSA’s definition of disability, the applicant’s diagnosis must be documented in medical records, laboratory reports, or other clinical findings of a physician or psychologist. DDS prefers that medical evidence come from an ongoing treatment provider. If this medical documentation is not available because the applicant has not received treatment for these conditions, we recommend that SOAR practitioners try to arrange for a physician or psychologist to conduct assessments, including documenting the applicant’s diagnosis and functioning, before submitting the SSI/SSDI application.

If it is not possible to arrange an evaluation before submitting the application, DDS may arrange for a consultative exam (CE) for the applicant, including physical or psychiatric testing based on the applicant’s alleged conditions. More information about CEs can be found here. In these instances, it is especially important that the SOAR practitioner provides comprehensive information about the applicant’s impairments in functioning through the Medical Summary Report. Collateral information from caseworkers, family members, and former employers can also be helpful in supporting an application with limited medical documentation.

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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.

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Question:
I already have medical records from another provider in my chart/file. Can I send those to SSA now that I am helping this individual apply for SSI/SSDI benefits?

Most states prohibit the re-release or “further release” of records once they have been released to an entity that originally requested them. However, if you send a request for records using the SOAR Process, which includes (1) a signed SSA-827 Authorization to Disclose Information and (2) a signed Agency Authorization to Release Information (either using the sample on the SOAR Tools & Worksheets page or your agency’s HIPAA compliant release), you will be able to send those records on to SSA.

Also included on the SOAR Tools & Worksheets page is a Medical Records Request Letter, which explains the purpose of the records request. This process of sending two releases is permitted under the HIPAA Privacy Rule as a “compound authorization.” The regulation can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations: Title 45 Part 164 Section 164.508. Source: Code of Federal Regulations: Title 45

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