CONTACT US SSA WEBINARS SOAR IN YOUR STATE

April is National Social Security Month!It’s National Social Security Month and this year the Social Security Administration (SSA) ishighlighting some of the time-saving features of the my Social Security account. Once youcreate an account, you’ll see that SSA already has your work history and secure informationto estimate what you could receive once you start collecting benefits. With your personal mySocial Security account, you can also:

request a replacement Social Security card;set up or change direct deposit;get a proof of income letter;change your address;check the status of your Social Security application; andget a Social Security 1099 form (SSA-1099).

For over 80 years, SSA has worked to meet the changing needs of the American public.Today, you can apply for retirement, disability, and Medicare benefits online, as well as takecare of other business.

Celebrate National Social Security Month by learning what you can do online anytime,anywhere at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

March Little Rock SOAR Leadership Academy RecapFrom March 19-21, 2019, the SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance (TA) Center facilitated aSOAR Leadership Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. Abigail Kirkman, Dazara Ware, AmandaStarkey, and Daniel Coladonato of the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center facilitated the training. Therewere 33 participants representing 19 states (AR, CA, CO, FL, IL, KY, LA, MD, MA, MO, NV, NH,NM, NY, NC, OR, TN, WV, and WY). There were enthusiastic participation and genuinewarmth throughout the entire 3 days of training. This was a testament to our new LocalLeads’ commitment to learning how to use SOAR to achieve our goals of endinghomelessness. We’re excited to see you SOAR!

Celebrate National Public Health Week with the SAMHSASOAR TA CenterWe celebrated National Public Health Week at the beginning of April (April 1-7, 2019)! Likeour partners and providers around the country, the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center is helping toraise awareness of how homelessness impacts public health. This year’s annual theme,coordinated by the American Public Health Association, was “Creating the Healthiest Nation:For science. For action. For health.” The theme focused on how we can work together tomake sure that we live a long and healthy life in a safe environment.

The great work you do each day in using the SOAR program to increase access to income andhealth insurance has a dramatic impact on our efforts to end homelessness so we can changeour future together. The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center encourages you to use National PublicHealth Week as a catalyst for taking one extra step towards ending homelessness in yourcommunity. No matter how big or small, if we all take a single step together, we’ll get there!

Sharing Our SuccessesSOARing Home in Independence, KansasJonathan Pendergrass of Four County Mental Health Center in Independence, Kansas wrote into share this incredible success story:

“A program participant, we'll call Abe, has lived a life of extreme poverty and chronichomelessness. He has slept in abandoned houses or garages with no heat source. His case

manager referred him to the SOAR program in mid-2018, and we were able to meet oncebefore he went missing for several weeks. I received a phone call from one of our medicalproviders stating that Abe had been without his much-needed shots and had missed all of hisappointments. I utilized the little information I had from the first meeting and managed tolocate him in a town 45 minutes away that happened to still be in my catchment area.Without breaching confidentiality, I left my name and number at a place he was thought tofrequent. That same week he reached out to me, and I was able to get him back to hismedical appointments, connect him with a new case manager, and move forward with hisSOAR case, eventually being approved and put into pay status at the beginning of this year.

The SOAR model worked out exactly as it was designed to do. Abe was given a homeless flagat SSA, which granted him an expedited route to food, medical attention, and a roof over hishead. [Through these benefits,] Abe was able to afford to rent a room from someone in town.He will be using his back pay to get a new bicycle and clothes along with many other thingshe has never had a chance to own, such as a TV. Abe is a SOAR success!”

What an incredible success story, Jonathan! Thank you for sharing this SOAR success. Whenasked about what words of wisdom Jonathan would share with new SOAR practitioners,Jonathan said, “I would tell all new SOAR practitioners that you serve a special populationthat would normally have their cases thrown out along with any hope of a stable livingenvironment due to their unique needs. This is where SOAR comes in! You can meet them intheir environment and build a relationship. SOAR is truly changing lives year after year, andyou are all to thank for that!”

Submit Your SOAR Success!

*Sharing Our Successes stories have been edited for brevity and clarity. All client names havebeen changed to protect anonymity.

EventsSOAR Webinar: Getting Started Completing SOAR-assistedSSI/SSDI ApplicationsApril 11, 2019, 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET

Join the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center to learn tips from SOAR Local Leads and providers on howto get started on your first SOAR-assisted Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social SecurityDisability Insurance (SSDI) applications. This webinar will give you many practical and provenideas to help you get started on completing successful SOAR-assisted SSI/SSDI applications!Don’t forget to invite your colleagues who have completed SOAR training and may bestruggling with getting started too. Encourage them to register for this webinar so you canwork together on submitting quality SOAR-assisted SSI/SSDI applications!

Register for the Webinar

SOARing Over Lunch Conference CallsMay 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 helpsupport SOAR efforts across the country. Participants can join to ask about any SOAR-relatedquestion they may have.

Add SOARing Over Lunch to Your Calendar

SOAR Job PostingsArizonaLifewell Behavioral Wellness is seeking a full-time SOAR Specialist based in Phoenix, Arizona.The successful candidate will increase access to SSI/SSDI for eligible members by providingin-depth community support to members during the application process.

CaliforniaCity Net is seeking a full-time benefits specialist based in Santa Ana, California. Thesuccessful candidate will be responsible for providing assessment and support to homelessindividuals, helping them to create claims for different streams of government benefits,including SSI/SSDI.

Learn more about these positions, including how to apply, on the SOAR website!

Funding CornerHUD Releases Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program NOFAApplication deadline: May 15, 2019

On March 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) releasedthe “Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program” Notice of Funding Availability. Thepurpose of this program is for communities to develop and execute a coordinated communityapproach to preventing and ending youth homelessness. The Notice of Funding Availabilityencourages Continua of Care to reach out and partner with “a comprehensive set oftraditional and non-traditional youth homelessness stakeholders that provide youth withresources and services.” HUD will select 25 communities to participate in this program, ofwhich 8 will be rural communities. The estimated total program funding is $75,000,000.

For more details about the HUD NOFA, including additional information on eligibility, visitHUD Exchange’s webpage on the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program.

VA Releases Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Case Management NOFAApplication deadline: May 20, 2019

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the availability of funds to eligibleentities to provide time-limited case management services to improve the retention ofhousing by Veterans who were previously homeless and are transitioning to permanenthousing from programs, such as VA’s Homeless Providers GPD Program or VA’s Healthcare forHomeless Veterans Contracted Residential Services Program. The NOFA, applicationmaterials, and an online training that describes the NOFA contents and application processmay be found at VA’s Homeless Veterans GPD page.

Federal UpdatesVA Releases Update to the Income and Benefits CalculatorIn March, the VA released an updated Income and Benefits Calculator, a tool thatdemonstrates how income from employment and/or VA disability benefits will affect SSI orSSDI. This update added 2019 Federal Benefit Rates and enables beneficiaries to use thecalculator throughout 2019 and beyond. We’d love to hear how you are using the calculatorto help individuals explore employment and maximize their income!

Social Security and OIG Launch Public Service AnnouncementCampaign

SSA and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) launched a joint Public ServiceAnnouncement (PSA) campaign addressing a nationwide telephone impersonation scheme.Social Security and the OIG continue to receive reports from across the country aboutfraudulent phone calls from people falsely claiming to be Social Security employees. Callscan even “spoof” Social Security’s national customer service number as the incoming numberon the caller ID. The new PSAs will air on TV and radio stations across the country to alertthe public to remain vigilant against potential fraud.

“We urge you to always be cautious and to avoid providing sensitive information, such as yourSocial Security number or bank account information to unknown people over the phone orInternet,” said Nancy A. Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “If you receive acall and are not expecting one, you must be extra careful–you can always get the caller’sinformation, hang up, and contact the official phone number of the business or agency thecaller claims to represent. Do not reveal personal data to a stranger who calls you.”

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, andRecovery (SOAR) Technical Assistance (TA) Center is sponsored by SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health andHuman 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 officialview of HHS or SAMHSA.

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