Library & Tools

National Recovery Month is observed every September to educate the public about mental health and substance use disorders and to celebrate the gains accomplished by individuals in recovery. In celebration, the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center extends thanks and appreciation to the 250+ SOAR-trained case workers who identify as “peers.”

Find up-to-date information on the rates that SSA sets annually.

Highlighted below are some of the ways peers from around the country have incorporated their lived expertise into their SOAR work.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.