SOAR Summer 2014

SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR)  Sizzling with SOAR! Summer 2014 In This Issue Inaugural SOAR Conference & Celebration Benefit Verification Letters SOAR Expert Shares Her Tips What is SOAR? SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) is a federal initiative that expedites and improves access to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness and diagnosed with a mental illness and/or co-occurring disorder. These programs, administered by the Social Security Administration, provide income and access to health insurance for individuals that are unable to work due to medical and/or psychiatric  conditions. The application process is complex and difficult to navigate. Through effective partnerships, technical assistance and training, the SOAR Initiative aims to increase the amount of applications and approvals for vulnerable individuals. For more information about SOAR visit http://www.prainc.com/SOAR   SOAR Data    Congratulations to Baltimore City  which has just received its 300th SOAR approval! What a wonderful achievement!  As of the end of June 2014, Maryland had over 750 decisional SOAR cases. As a state our overall approval rate is 81% (compared with the current SOAR national average of 65%). In FY 2014, 87% of all initial SOAR claims were approved in just 73 days! Charles County  We are delighted that Charles County is the latest jurisdiction to implement SOAR and we are very excited to have them on board! Quick Links     www.ssa.gov   http://www.prainc.com/SOAR    More questions about SOAR? If you are new to SOAR within Maryland and want to learn more, contact Marian Bland at marian.bland@maryland.gov or Caroline Bolas at   caroline.bolas@maryland.gov Share what you are doing with SOAR! Email to mflanagan@hchmd.org share your successes    Behavioral Health Administration    Mental Hygiene Administration and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration formally merged on July 1, 2014 to become the Behavioral Health Administration. The Behavioral Health Administration is responsible for oversight of Public Behavioral Health services for those who have mental illness, substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. This much welcomed integration will enhance service provision for those who we serve and provide opportunities to expand the work of SOAR.   The Mental Hygiene Administration's article  Going Beyond Income: Demonstrating the Importance of Disability Benefits - Maryland's SOAR Initiative was published in World Medicare and Health Policy.    Inaugural SOAR Conference & Celebration A Huge Success!    On Friday, June 20, 2014, over 75 SOAR providers and partners gathered together to participate in Maryland's first-ever SOAR conference! The day featured presentations and breakout sessions on SOAR related topics such as SOAR and housing, employment after SOAR, understanding the appeal process, Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act, writing effective Medical Summary Reports (MSRs) integrating SOAR into everyday roles and responsibilities, as well as a question and answer session with representatives from Social Security Administration and Disability Determination Services. For many participants one of the highlights of the conference was hearing two individuals who received SOAR services share their stories of working through the Social Security process, and their personal struggles and successes. The powerful stories offered a glimpse into the journeys of these two amazing gentleman and how SOAR not only assisted in accessing the benefits they needed, but helped them to realize their ability to contribute to our community and find meaning and purpose. As one participant commented, "The personal stories by the two gentlemen were very moving and for me encouraged higher commitment to the SOAR process". The conference was also an opportunity to recognize the efforts and achievements of all those involved in Maryland's SOAR Initiative past and present. As part of this, the Mental Hygiene Administration presented the following awards:  * Most SOAR Approvals in FY 2014 Theresa Shenk of Anne Arundel County (SOAR funded position) & Sharon Lemone of Montgomery County (non SOAR funded position) * Special Achievement Award: Katie League of Baltimore City * Leadership Award: Richard Schiffauer of Montgomery County * Innovation Award: Margaret Flanagan of Baltimore City * Community Partnership Awards to Merlina Romanoff, Social Security Administration, and Kimberlee Schultz, Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services and Maryland's Disability Determination Services (accepted by Caroline Mason, Tracy Ellis, Tessa Walker, and Chauna Richardson) Yvonne Perret, known affectionately as the mother of SOAR, became the first inductee into Maryland's SOAR Hall of Fame.    And, the National SOAR Technical Assistance Center presented a leadership award for Maryland's SOAR Initiative. The day was a huge success.  Special thanks to Caroline Mason, Kimberlee Schultz, Margaret Flanagan, Amy Baker and Jen Elder for all their hard work as members of the planning committee.       Benefit Verification Letters Previously, the Social Security Administration (SSA) had stated that it would stop providing benefit verification letters at local field offices from October 2014. However, on July 17, 2014, it was announced that local Social Security offices will continue to provide benefit verification letters until further notice. That being said, wherever possible SSA is strongly encouraging individuals to obtain such information by creating a my Social Security account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.     SOAR Pro-Tips    There is a tremendous amount of expertise in the Maryland SOAR community.       SOAR expert Bilqis Rock of Health Care for the Homeless in Baltimore has a 90% approval rate. Her number one tip when writing a MSR is "If you are having trouble gathering information from an individual, re-frame the question and provide concrete examples for the individual so they have an idea of what information to provide. For example, when asking 'can you cook' often the person will answer 'yes'. However, this does not get to the meat of the issue. Re-frame the question, 'what foods do you cook?' or even be more specific 'do you use the microwave or stove when you cook?' The person will be able to give more concrete examples to these questions."