Training For You to Help Clients Access SSI/SSDI Benefits

Speaker: Yvonne M. Perret, MA, MSW, LCSW-C

Executive Director, Advocacy and Training Center, email:yperret@hereintown.net

Three Extensive Efforts

·         Social Security Administration:  HOPE projects

·         SAMHSA:  SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) Initiative

·         National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) “Documenting Disability:  Simple Strategies for Medical Providers” 

SSA’s HOPE Projects

·         Target underserved groups of people who are homeless, e.g., people with serious and persistent mental illness, with HIV infections, with limited English proficiency, with multiple and co-occurring disorders and cognitive impairments, and homeless veterans with disabilities.

·         Funding:  $8 million each in FY 2003, 2004, and 2005 (per SSA website)

·         Federal funding reduces each year with an expectation that grantees will seek other funds for ongoing sustainability.

·         An evaluation of the projects is part of the effort as well as ongoing technical assistance from SSA.

·         Programs are ending their final year of federal funding and are beginning to struggle with funding to sustain their programs past 2005.

·         GOAL:  To support the President’s initiative to “end chronic homelessness within 10 years” (per SSA website) by: Demonstrating the value of assistance that skilled medical and social service providers give to homeless individuals who file for Social Security benefits; and assisting eligible chronic homeless individuals in applying for SSI and Social Security disability benefits. 

SSA’s HOPE Projects- 41 awardees throughout the country:

·         Arizona:  Tucson

·         California (8):  2 in Los Angeles and one each in Escondido, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Tarzana.

·         Colorado:  Denver

·         Connecticut:  Stamford

·         Washington, DC

·         Florida:  Tampa

·         Hawaii:  Honolulu

·         Indiana:  Clark County

·         Kansas:  Topeka

·         Louisiana (2):  New Orleans

·         Massachusetts (4):  Boston, Hyannis, Newton, and Lowell 

·         Michigan:  Wyandotte

·         Minnesota (2):  Bemidji, Roseville

·         North Carolina:  Durham

·         Nevada:  Las Vegas

·         New York (5):  4 in New York City, Rochester

·         Ohio:  Cincinnati

·         Oregon (2):  Eugene, Oak Grove

·         Texas (3):  Beaumont, Longview, San Antonio

·         Washington:  Seattle

·         Wisconsin (2):  Milwaukee

·         For specific organizations, see www.socialsecurity.gov/homelessness/outreach.htm. There is at least one program specifically targeted at homeless veterans.

 
SAMHSA’s SOAR Initiative-(Collaboration between HRSA, HUD and SAMHSA)

·         Stepping Stones to Recovery reference manual published by SAMHSA.

·         Stepping Stones to Recovery training curriculum and Train-the-Trainer program.

·         Promising Practices for SSI Outreach – SAMHSA issue brief based on interviews with 25 programs.

·         SOAR Technical Assistance Initiative.

Why SOAR?

·         Training is not enough -- it has been seen that organizations have a hard time implementing due to lack of resources.

·         Line staff are excited about learning new skills, but frustrated by:

·          Lack of agency support

·          Limited access to medical records for documentation

·          No access to physicians, psychologists, and psychiatrists for medical evaluations

·          Poor relationships with DDS and SSA    

SOAR Technical Assistance Initiative

·         Offered to States participating in the Federal Interagency Policy Academies on Homelessness.

·         Strategy to help States increase access to mainstream benefits for people who are homeless.

·         State must have had access to benefits as a goal or strategy in their State Policy Academy Action Plan.

·         Provides technical assistance, training and support in 14 States, (24 states applied).

 SOAR States

·         Arizona

·         Florida

·         Georgia

·         Hawaii

·         Kentucky

·         Louisiana unable to participate due to the hurricanes, Nevada took this slot.

·         Montana

·         Ohio

·         Oklahoma

·         Oregon

·         Utah

·         Virginia

·         Washington

·         Los Angeles County -- which is as big as some states

What’s Involved in SOAR?

·         Collaboration among key stakeholders.

·         Strategic planning to enhance access to SSI and SSDI at the State and community levels in one to two pilot communities.

·         Train-the-Trainer program to give each State the capacity to provide on-going training.

·         Follow-up observation, TA and feedback on State’s first Stepping Stones to Recovery training.

·         On-going support and technical assistance from SOAR TA Team.

·         Tracking outcomes to ensure long-term support and broad dissemination -- looking at outcomes on cost benefit analysis.

Essential Outcomes

·         Number of Stepping Stones to Recovery trainings conducted and number of trainees at each.

·         For participants at each training -- Number of SSI/SSDI applications assisted 1 year before and 1 year after training.

·         For applications assisted (1 year before and 1 year after training).

·         Number approved upon initial submission to SSA.

·         Length of time from initial submission to SSA decision.

·         Applicant’s housing status (housed/homeless) at time of initial contact and, if homeless, for how long?

·         Cost savings assessment for a small sample of individuals comparing before and after receipt of SSI/SSDI.

In Summary, the goals of the SOAR TA Initiative Are…

·         To increase the number of homeless people in your State who receive SSI and/or SSDI.

·         To build the capacity of your State to train front line staff to assist homeless people with SSA disability applications.

·         To provide support and technical assistance to your State and pilot communities for 12-18 months following your Forum.

·         To conduct an evaluation of the SOAR TA Initiative to determine the extent to which we have helped your State meet its goals and objectives.

SOAR So Far

·         Train the Trainer (using Stepping Stones to Recovery Curriculum):  Dec. 5-8 with 14 states represented; 54 attendees altogether.

·         14 states have 33 trainings scheduled with 30 persons/training (conservatively).

·         In each state, state and local representatives have met for strategic planning around benefits (420 attendees in all).

·         NHCHC Publication and Trainings.

·         Publication:  “Documenting Disability: Simple Strategies for Medical Providers” http://www.nhchc.org/DocumentingDisability.pdf.

·         Focuses on what physicians, psychologists and other clinicians can do to expedite federal disability benefits for eligible homeless people.

·         Trainings upcoming:  Seattle, Chicago, New York, Oklahoma City, Denver, and Miami. 

Further Contact

·         HOPE Projects: 

            Ed Beane, Social Security Administration:  ed.beane@ssa.gov 

·         SAMHSA SOAR Initiative:

            Deborah Dennis, Policy Research Associates:  ddennis@prainc.com

            Michael Hutner, SAMHSA PATH Director:  michael.hutner@samhsa.hhs.gov 

·         NHCHC:  Patricia Post: ppost@nhchc.org