FAQ

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 you from making any further disclosure of this information unless further disclosure is expressly permitted by the written consent of the person to whom it pertains or as otherwise permitted by 42 CFR part 2. A general authorization for the release of medical or other information is NOT sufficient for this purpose. The Federal rules restrict any use of the information to criminally investigate or prosecute any alcohol or drug abuse patient.” Source: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2002/octqtr/42cfr2.32.htm

However, the law allows the records to be disclosed to any entity the person names in the consent. When you complete the SSA-827: Authorization to Disclose Information to SSA be sure that it specifically mentions the release of drug and alcohol treatment records.

1619(b) is continued Medicaid coverage for those individuals that were receiving SSI benefits prior to returning to work. You can find more information on SSA's website here: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/1619b.htm

Most SOAR programs that have a hospital collaboration will work with the hospital’s billing department to collect information on reimbursed expenses for each SOAR applicant approved. Some are able to separate out Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements; others have just a total for all reimbursements. The information isn't any more complicated than: "We helped 100 individuals get approved for SSI/SSDI and the hospital has been reimbursed $500,000 in the past year in Medicaid/Medicare expenses for these individuals."  It can be helpful to also collect the totals for unreimbursed expenses for those same individuals for the year prior to approval to use as a comparison.  One SOAR provider looked at emergency room usage for the year prior and the year after approval to see if there was a reduction. They found a 24 percent reduction in ER usage and 52 percent reduction in psychiatric ER usage.

Some SOAR providers will meet monthly with the billing department and collect reimbursement data, others will do it quarterly.  We would recommend doing whatever works best for the staff at the hospital and the SOAR staff.  

If a person is approved for both SSI and SSDI they will maintain Medicaid because SSI benefits include Medicaid. However, some states require a separate Medicaid application, (https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/medicaid.htm).

Medicaid coverage for services varies from state to state. Here is a link that will take you to your state's Medicaid agency: https://www.medicaid.gov/about-us/contact-us/contact-state-page.html.

SSDI benefits include Medicare, but there is typically a 24 month waiting period before the SSDI beneficiary can begin to have Medicare coverage (see Page 12 at https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10029.pdf).

Once the beneficiary has both Medicaid and Medicare, Medicare is typically the primary insurance.

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

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.

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, 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.

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.