Library & Tools

Charles H. Houston was the lawyer that challenged Congress to amend the exclusion of agricultural and domestic workers from the retirement benefits and unemployment insurance provided by the Social Security Act of 1935.

How substance use is considered in the disability determination process has changed substantially over the years. This article dispels several widely-held myths about how DDS views substance use (such as you have to be clean and sober to get benefits), and its impact on the application process.

When assisting an individual with completing and electronically signing an Online Disability Benefit Application the applicant will need to create a my Social Security account. The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center has developed guidance for SOAR providers.

The SAMHSA SOAR initiative is intended for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. These terms are defined differently by SOAR and the Social Security Administration (SSA). It is important for SOAR providers to understand these differences when determining who meets the housing criteria to be a SOAR applicant and which cases can be expedited at SSA through the use of the “homeless flag.”

The following resources have been created and/or revised to provide guidance and action steps that SOAR providers can implement in SOAR service delivery as well as resources that supervisors are encouraged to use to support them.

Here is some guidance from the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center and the Social Security Administration for gathering information about and documenting Long COVID for SSI/SSDI applications.

The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center has worked to address the barriers to equity in SOAR implementation with the development of resources, tools, and training. On this webinar, held on March 24, 2022, SOAR Leaders discussed how these resources have been used in their agencies.

Documenting substance use for an application is not just about finding out how much the person uses or how often.

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

As we all do our best to address the barriers associated with racism and inequity, we must accept the discomfort that comes with the effort to learn about ourselves, learn about each other, and grow to create a psychologically safe environment in which staff can work and thrive. Here are some suggestions for improving staff engagement by integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our SOAR work.