Library & Tools

November is National Veteran and Military Families Month, and we are celebrating with the SOAR success stories of Veterans submitted by SOAR practitioners from across the country!

The Department of Veterans Affairs encourages Veteran Health Administration (VHA) employees to utilize the SOAR model when assisting Veterans to apply for SSI/SSDI.

Connecting Veterans with Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits is a critical step to increasing income stability for Veterans and their families, as well as providing health insurance for those who may not qualify for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care.

Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits programs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), provide essential income and health insurance that can facilitate access to housing and treatment for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. SSA is committed to expediting claims and quickly issuing payments for the most serious conditions and applicants in dire need. SOAR providers are trained to develop complete and comprehensive claims that help to naturally expedite SSA disability applications. When working with an applicant who is experiencing or at risk of homelessness, SOAR providers should be aware of the following SSA initiatives and practices.

This webinar, held on October 24, 2018, was presented by the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center in partnership with the SAMHSA GAINS Center.  We explored how SOAR implementation in criminal justice settings can be a strong reentry tool to increase housing stability and promote post-release success.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Homeless Programs Office, in partnership with the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, recently released guidance for all federal VA staff on using SOAR in their work to end Veteran homelessness.

This webinar, held on November 12, 2015 educated SOAR practitioners about the presence of TBI among returning service members, as well as individuals who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.

This webinar, held on March 25, 2020, addressed the connections between serious mental illness, homelessness, and incarceration, and best practices for increasing access to SSI/SSDI benefits for people with serious mental illness who are reentering communities from jails and prisons. 

These are the tools and worksheets created by the SOAR TA Center that can help you in the SSI/SSDI Application process.

Between 2017-2019 the SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance (TA) Center granted Criminal Justice (CJ) TA Awards to eighteen Criminal Justice Centers across the country.