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  • SOAR Critical Component: The Medical Summary Report

    The Medical Summary Report (MSR) is SOAR’s signature tool and key to a successful application. It provides a succinct, comprehensive summary of the applicant’s personal and treatment history and its impact on his or her life. It also clearly describes the factors affecting functioning and ability to work.

    Type
    Article
    Key Resource
    Yes
  • Linking Functional Information to Diagnosis and Impairment

    For applicants with mental disorders, DDS examiners look at a person’s ability to function in four primary areas. Your responsibility is to describe the functioning of the individual in as much detail as possible and to document how the person’s illness impairs his or her ability to function and maintain employment at a substantial gainful level.

    Type
    Article
    Key Resource
    Yes
  • ALJ Video Hearings

    The Social Security Administration now offers a video option for Administrative Law Judge appeal hearings.

    Type
    Article
  • SOAR Collaboration with SSA’s Office of Hearings Operations (OHO)

    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.

    Type
    Article
  • Sample Functional Descriptions

    This article provides example descriptions for the areas of mental functioning. The “effective” functional descriptions clearly link the symptoms of the applicant’s illness with their limitations.

    Type
    Article
  • Adapt or Manage Oneself

    Adapting and managing oneself refers to the abilities to regulate emotions, control behavior, and maintain well-being in a work setting. This article contains key criteria that DDS will assess, tips on gathering information, and examples of functional descriptions.

    Type
    Article
  • Concentrate, Persist, or Maintain Pace

    This area of mental functioning refers to the abilities to focus attention on work activities and stay on task at a sustained rate. This article contains key criteria that DDS will assess, tips on gathering information, and examples of functional descriptions.

    Type
    Article
  • Interact with Others

    Interact with others refers to the abilities to relate to and work with supervisors, co-workers, and the public. This article contains key criteria that DDS will assess, tips on gathering information, and examples of functional descriptions.

    Type
    Article
  • Understand, Remember, or Apply Information

    The first area of mental functioning – Understand, Remember, or Apply Information – focuses on the abilities to learn, recall, and use information to perform work activities. This article contains key criteria that DDS will assess, tips on gathering information, and examples of functional descriptions.

    Type
    Article
  • The Listings and Mental Illness

    The Listings are SSA’s categorized lists of illnesses and conditions and the specific severity criteria – symptoms, duration, and impairments – of each illness/condition that must be met for a person to be considered disabled by the illness/condition. It is helpful for case managers to become familiar with these requirements.

    Type
    Article