Library & Tools

Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits programs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), provide essential income and health insurance that can facilitate access to housing and treatment for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. SSA is committed to expediting claims and quickly issuing payments for the most serious conditions and applicants in dire need. SOAR providers are trained to develop complete and comprehensive claims that help to naturally expedite SSA disability applications. When working with an applicant who is experiencing or at risk of homelessness, SOAR providers should be aware of the following SSA initiatives and practices.

For November's Native American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting the recent formation of SSA’s Office of Native American Partnerships and sharing resources focused on serving Native communities.

This issue brief, developed by the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, discusses best practices for integrating benefit options with community reentry strategies for people with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders to promote post-release success.

SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) case workers assist eligible individuals who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. Due to the unique nature of the position, the following are helpful suggestions and reminders when supervising SOAR case workers.

Staff turnover while there are pending disability applications can confuse and concern the applicant, the Social Security Administration (SSA), and Disability Determination Services (DDS). This checklist helps agencies effectively transfer applications to a new SOAR case worker, resulting in a frustration-free experience for all.

The following stories were submitted with permission to the SOAR Technical Assistance Center in response to a call for examples of how Social Security disability benefits have changed the lives of people who were experiencing or at risk for homelessness.

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.

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.

The SOAR Recertification Process aims to ensure that case workers who passed the SOAR Online Course more than one year ago but have not yet utilized the SOAR model to assist with SSI/SSDI applications are refreshed on the process. It also offers an opportunity for SOAR practitioners to verify their involvement with and knowledge of SOAR without having to complete the SOAR Online Course multiple times or on a yearly basis.

In May 2016, Frontiers in Public Health published an evaluation of the SOAR online training model, which assessed SOAR Online Course usage from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015. The study focused on the unique integration of a practice SSI/SSDI application into the training, the first of its kind in public health online trainings, and the support provided by local and state SOAR leads.