Library & Tools

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.

On this webinar, held on August 28, 2019, participants learned tips and tools on how to write quality Medical Summary Reports (MSR).

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.

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

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

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.

On this webinar, held on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, we took a deep dive into writing effective and culturally aware Medical Summary Reports (MSRs).

State and Local Leads spearhead and coordinate the implementation of SOAR initiatives. These leaders identify and engage stakeholders to participate in steering committees whose goal is to create and implement a SOAR action plan and process for adult SSI/SSDI and/or child SSI application submission. These committees meet regularly to collaborate, report on progress, and troubleshoot challenges.

Understanding the Social Security Administration’s evaluation criteria for SSI/SSDI applications involving co-occurring disorders is critical to providing effective representation.

This toolkit will help you to develop a SOAR referral process for your community or agency that helps ensure that potentially eligible individuals are connected with SOAR-trained providers who are available to assist.