Library & Tools

The SOAR Employment Conversation Guide is an excellent tool that can help caseworkers begin those tough, but important conversations about work.

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.

Connecting Veterans with Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits is a critical step to increasing income stability for Veterans and their families, particularly for those Veterans whose work activity is limited by disabling conditions. The SOAR model helps individuals obtain SSA disability benefits while they are pursuing their vocational goals through the HVRP Program.

We’ve gathered examples of well-written, successful Medical Summary Reports (MSRs) from SOAR providers across the country for the SOAR community to use as extra guidance.

Released by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in July 2018, and updated in 2023, this tool helps demonstrate how income from employment and/or VA disability benefits will affect Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

This guidance document is a supplement to the Medical Summary Report Interview Guide and Template. It provides important considerations when working with individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing. It includes helpful information about hearing loss, Deaf culture, and important accommodations. Finally, it includes sample questions that may be helpful in your interview.

An income support plan documents an individual’s income needs and goals and sets action steps for pursuing a variety of income sources

Here is some guidance to help case workers identify adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness who may be eligible for Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits. While we do not want to discourage anyone from applying for SSA benefits, this guidance can help you identify individuals that most need your assistance with their SSI/SSDI application.

You want to be a SOAR provider? That’s great! This infographic shows what to expect.

Many employment services are federal programs that are available in most cities and some rural areas. Other services are only available locally. The following is a general set of guidelines to learn about available employment services in your area. Employment services are often designated for specific eligibility groups. Follow up with local contacts to confirm what services they provide and who is eligible.