Inside HRSA - July 2007
 
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SOAR Seeks to Increase Access to Health Care for Homeless

HRSA is part of a Federal inter-agency initiative that trains state and local social service staff and volunteers to help people who are homeless navigate the application process for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

Called “SOAR” – short for SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery – the initiative works to help people who are homeless gain access to health care, since eligibility for SSI in most states means immediate eligibility for Medicaid. Many homeless suffer from mental illness or physical disabilities that could make them eligible for SSI and SSDI, but obtaining eligibility can be a lengthy and difficult process.

SOAR begins with technical assistance from HRSA and other Federal agencies to state and local staff that helps them develop plans to improve outreach to people living on the streets. Included in the technical assistance is a four-day “Train-the-Trainer” program; participants in those sessions — who sometimes include staff from HRSA-supported health centers — return home to share what they learned with front-line staff.

Those front-line outreach workers, in turn, take what they learn to help people who are homeless obtain essential identification, such as birth certificates and driver's licenses. Outreach workers also contact medical providers on behalf of homeless clients to obtain medical records capable of documenting the disability.

Early results in states that have joined the SOAR initiative indicate substantially improved approval rates for applicants who are homeless. That's good news, since only 10 percent to 15 percent of initial applications are typically approved for people who are homeless.

Two HHS manuals are used to train and inform SOAR participants. The “Train-the-Trainer” sessions use a manual developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration called Stepping Stones to Recovery: A Training Curriculum for Case Managers Assisting Persons Who Are Homeless Apply for SSI/SSDI Disability Benefits. The document provides an overview of the SSI and SSDI programs and explains terms used by the Social Security Administration, which administers the programs.

A HRSA-funded manual, Documenting Disabilities: Simple Strategies for Medical Providers, helps physicians and nurses understand what's needed to document medical impairments and the evidence required to support a disability claim. For additional publications on this topic, visit www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/publications.htm.

  

Did you know....

SOAR grew out of the federal Homeless Policy Academy Initiative, launched in 2001 to help state and local policymakers improve access to mainstream services for people who are homeless. HHS agencies contributed funds and technical assistance to the initiative; additional support came from the Veterans Administration and the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Labor and Education.
 

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