Library & Tools

It is important to find out whether someone has a pending initial claim or is waiting for a reconsideration or an appeals hearing before starting a new application.

April is National Social Security Month! In 2021, we honored Mike Nolan, one of the SOAR initiative’s longest-standing supporters at the Social Security Administration (SSA).

When you are preparing to appeal a denial of disability benefits, the first thing you should do is request the case file so that you can review key components of the file and decision!

Here are examples of completed SSA and SOAR Forms using information from a fictitious SSI/SSDI applicant.

Here are examples of completed SSA and SOAR Forms using information from a fictitious SSI child applicant.

Is your agency looking to hire a SOAR Benefits Specialist?  Take a look at this Sample Job Description!

This article explains how you can promote SOAR with your Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) office to help ease their backlog and workload issues, while at the same time, improving access to expedited decisions for SOAR applicants.

SOAR programs must consider how implicit biases may contribute to disparities in how SOAR services are accessed by and delivered to diverse groups. From hiring and supporting staff to identifying eligible SOAR applicants to writing a Medical Summary Report (MSR), there are many ways to encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion in SSI/SSDI application assistance while creating work environments where SOAR providers can thrive.

This infographic illustrates how SOAR makes an impact at the local level.

The following stories were submitted with permission to the SOAR Technical Assistance Center in response to a call for examples of how Social Security disability benefits have changed the lives of people who were experiencing or at risk for homelessness.