Library & Tools

The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center is proud to debut a new resource guide on practical ways that SOAR can be integrated into the peer-certification process. 

In an effort to better identify appropriate SOAR claimants, identifying claims which are more likely to have a favorable outcome is paramount. Social Security has developed Special Medical Vocational Profiles, which are rare combinations of adversities that combine, along with impairments, to result in a finding of disabled. 

This guide presents common post-entitlement events that occur for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries and provides guidance for SOAR-trained case workers to assist SSI/SSDI beneficiaries with navigating these events to maintain eligibility. However, it is not exhaustive. SSI and SSDI post-entitlement events and rules are numerous, oftentimes complex in nature, and specific to a person’s circumstances.

SSA is now evaluating the long-term effects of COVID-19 when determining disability. On April 16, 2021, SSA issued an Emergency Message (EM) with guidance to its employees for evaluating adult disability cases that include an allegation or diagnosis of COVID-19. Here are the key points of the EM as well as tips for SOAR practitioners to effectively represent SSI/SSDI applicants whose functioning is impacted by COVID-19.

Learn more about the impact of Unemployment Insurance and Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payments on SSI/SSDI benefits.

Here is guidance on assisting beneficiaries with completing the SSA-455: Disability Update Report.

Peers have a unique ability to engage with individuals and help people share information about how their conditions affect their ability to function, treatment sources, and collateral sources of evidence. This issue brief developed by the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center explores how peers are a natural fit to help people with the SSI/SSDI application process using SOAR.

This webinar, held on January 22, 2020, explored Step 3 and Step 5 of SSA's Sequential Evaluation process -- the only two steps at which an applicant can be found disabled.

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.

This toolkit, updated and re-released in August 2019, contains extensive resources on how to integrate the SOAR model into community planning efforts, for serving both Veterans and non-Veterans.