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.
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.
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.
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 decision tree will help caseworkers determine whether they should complete a SOAR-assisted SSI/SSDI application for an individual with whom they are working.
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.
Because SOAR is built on collaborations as well as training, the first step in starting a SOAR program is to bring key community partners together to agree upon and establish a SOAR Process and create a SOAR action plan. The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center can assist you every step of the way.
Library & Tools
