Plus, new federal resources!
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SOAR 2019 Outcomes: Every Person Counts
It's time for the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center's Fiscal Year 2019 SOAR outcomes collection! We are counting SOAR-assisted Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applications with decisions between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019. Report your outcomes in the SOAR Online Application Tracking (OAT) system to help us demonstrate the power of the SOAR model. Every person counts, so please reach out to your SOAR Liaison with any questions!
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Welcoming New SOAR Project Assistant Kansinya Boone
Please extend a hearty SOAR welcome to the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center's new Project Assistant, Kansinya Boone! In her new role at the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, Kansinya serves as the Online Course Assistant Coordinator, providing technical assistance to course participants over the phone and via the soar@prainc.com and soaronline@prainc.com email accounts. She also coordinates the registration for SOAR Leadership Academies and arranges for the processing of Leadership Academy and meeting evaluation forms. Before joining the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, Kansinya was a case manager and housing counselor, working with Albany-area service providers to obtain services for clients at risk of homelessness to stay stably housed or transition into safe, affordable, decent housing. Kansinya is passionate about advocating for tenants and tenants' rights, ending homelessness, and supporting persons in need of assistance.
You can reach Kansinya at kboone@prainc.com. Welcome to the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, Kansinya! We are so happy to have you join us!
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Sharing Our Successes
SOAR Provides Robust Reimbursements in Missouri
In the state of Missouri, when applicants are approved for Social Security disability benefits and begin receiving Medicaid, providers can recoup the cost of uncompensated care. Applications are approved at a much higher and faster rate when agencies use the SOAR model rather than the traditional model. The most recent query found that from 12 applicants who were approved for benefits using the SOAR model providers were able to recoup a total of $104,084.23 in previously uncompensated care! Way to go, Missouri!
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*Sharing Our Successes stories are edited for brevity and clarity. All client names are changed to protect anonymity.
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SOAR Webinar: Maximizing OAT Utilization for SOAR Outcome Tracking
June 6, 2019; 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Have you completed the SOAR Online Course, but are now struggling to track your SOAR outcomes? Are you a SOAR Leader in your agency, locality, or state, but don't have a clear picture of who is submitting SOAR-assisted applications? Join the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center to learn about all the things OAT can do for you! Did you know that OAT does more than just track outcomes of SOAR-assisted SSI/SSDI applications? OAT can also summarize outcomes and produce reports that can be used for sustainability and quality control efforts. In this webinar, you will hear from SOAR State and Local Leads who have maximized all the features of OAT! Don't forget to invite your colleagues who have completed SOAR training and may want to learn more about what OAT can do for them, too.
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May 14, 2019; 1:00 p.m. ET
The next SOARing Over Lunch Conference Call will take place on May 14, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. ET! The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center hosts this series of informal monthly calls designed to help support SOAR efforts across the country. Participants can join to ask about any SOAR-related question they may have.
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On April 11, 2019, the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center hosted a webinar to help new SOAR practitioners get started on their first SOAR-assisted SSI/SSDI applications. This webinar offered practical and proven ideas to help SOAR providers get started on completing successful SOAR-assisted SSI/SSDI applications! The materials from this webinar are now available for download.
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Federal Updates
A new research brief from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans has released a research brief, Returns to VHA Homeless Program Among Unstably Housed Veterans. This brief examines the factors associated with Veteran returns to VHA Homeless Programs and potential protective factors. The researchers found that 43.4 percent of Veterans who used homeless services returned to a VHA Homeless Program at least 90 days later. The brief noted that Veterans who had access to income were less likely to return to VHA Homelessness Programs, underscoring the importance of the SOAR model in connecting eligible Veterans with income supports to promote housing stability.
The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new resource that helps employers better understand mental health issues and provides guidance on how to cultivate a work environment that supports employees with related conditions. Created in coordination with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), the Mental Health Toolkit is an online gateway to background, tools, and resources for employers. The toolkit provides valuable information and guidance for employers seeking to offer a mental health-friendly workplace. The toolkit also provides summaries of research on workplace mental health, descriptions of mental-health initiatives implemented by companies of varying sizes and industries, and links to resources employers can use to start their own.
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) Technical Assistance (TA) Center is sponsored by SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Disclaimer: The SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance Center is sending this eNews with support from SAMHSA, HHS. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of HHS or SAMHSA. |
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