North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness
PO Box 27692
Raleigh, NC 27611
Tel: 919-755-4393
Resources for SOAR Caseworkers
NC SOAR Caseworker Dialogue Group
Are you a trained SOAR caseworker? If so, join the NC SOAR Dialogue Group! You'll get new information on the SOAR process and SSA, and will be eligible to attend monthly conference calls with other SOAR trained caseworkers in North Carolina. For instructions on how to join, please visit our Dialogue Groups webpage.
NC SOAR Caseworker Password-Protected Webpages
We have created webpages with information that is only available to SOAR caseworkers who have attended a two-day training. If you are a trained SOAR caseworker and would like to access these pages, please send an email to soar@ncceh.org with the subject line "Access SOAR Webpages." (Once you have received your password, you can view the pages after logging in to the site.)NEW!! NC SOAR FAQ
As caseworkers, agencies and communities learn about NC SOAR, they often have questions about the program. NC SOAR now has an NC SOAR FAQ to address these frequently asked questions. Please review this document to find what the SOAR program is, how it can benefit your community and how to get started with NC SOAR.
NC SOAR also has an Advanced SOAR FAQ that is available to SOAR-trained caseworkers on our password-protected webpages. If you are trained SOAR caseworker and would like to access these pages, please send an email to soar@ncceh.org with the subject line "Access SOAR Webpages." (Once you have received your password, you can view the pages after logging in to the site.)
NEW!! Medical Summary Report Scorecard
Do you find yourself wondering what information you should include in your Medical Summary Reports for DDS? NC SOAR now has a Medical Summary Report Scorecard that can help you review your reports before sending them to DDS. This Scorecard will be used to evaluate Medical Summary Reports submitted for NC SOAR Caseworker Certification (see below), but you can use it to review your own Medical Summary Reports, evaluate their strength, and determine how closely they follow the SOAR model.
Outreach Tool for Physicians
NC SOAR Caseworkers wear many hats in the community! One very important role is to educate physicians about the SSI/SSDI process and work with them to complete SOAR Medical Summary Reports. However, many myths about SSI/SSDI still exist in the community and the medical field. NC SOAR now has a document to help outreach to physicians in the community! Please use this document to explain the SSI/SSDI process, the physician's role in the process, and to explain how SOAR applications are different than business as usual. If you have questions regarding this document, please contact Emily Carmody at soar@ncceh.org.
HIPAA Compliance Questions
Just like the SSI/SSDI process, many myths surround HIPAA regulations. SOAR Caseworkers often encounter these myths while gathering medical records from previous treatment providers to strengthen SSI/SSDI applications. Please note, if you submit both your agency's Release of Information and the SSA-827 release to a medical records department, you are able to receive records and pass them on to SSA and DDS. This is called a "Compound Authorization" under HIPAA regulations and can be found in Title 45 Part 164 Section 164.508.
The national SOAR program has also created a HIPAA FAQ that can be helpful in answering HIPAA related questions. If you have questions about HIPAA and SOAR, please contact Emily Carmody at soar@ncceh.org.
Changes to SSA Policy for Justice Involved Applicants
Policy Research Associates has released a summary of the changes to SSA policy for individuals who are involved in the justice system. Applicants with open probation or parole violations will no longer have benefits suspended or applications denied based on these charges. Anyone who had benefits suspended, denied, or entered an overpayment status with SSA due to a probation or parole violation after October 24, 2006 needs to contact their local SSA office because they may be eligible for retroactive benefits!
Applicants may still have benefits suspended or denied, if they have an open felony warrant for Flight, Escape, or Flight-Escape. If you have specific questions about how an applicant's legal involvement will effect their case, please contact Emily Carmody at soar@ncceh.org or your local SSA office.
NC SOAR Medical Records Database
In order to help NC SOAR Caseworkers find medical records for their applicants, we have created a Medical Records Database of current contact information for medical records departments of clinics and hospitals in NC and other states. The Medical Records Database also includes contact information for NC Local Management Entities that manage mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disorder services for their designated counties. If you have information that you would like to be added to the list, please contact Emily Carmody at emily@ncceh.org.
NC SOAR Caseworker Certification
NCCEH is interested in working with SOAR caseworkers to develop their skills and provide them with the recognition they deserve for their dedication to SOAR methods and for helping their clients access benefits. Individuals who complete the NC SOAR Caseworker Certification process will receive documentation that they are SOAR certified and will be added to the state list of SOAR caseworkers. Please note that attending to two day SOAR Caseworker training does not mean you are a Certified NC SOAR Caseworker. Please read the requirements for certification below:
- Read the requirements for NC SOAR Caseworker Certification
- NEW!! Every Medical Summary Report that is submitted for Certification will be evaluated using the Medical Summary Report Scorecard. Caseworkers will be provided a copy of the completed Scorecard for each report, and NCCEH will review scores with caseworkers.
- Complete the NC SOAR Caseworker Exam (required for Provisional Certification)
- Complete the NC SOAR Caseworker Evaluation and Assessment (required for Final Certification)
SOAR Referral and Screening Tools
With limited time and resources, it is important that SOAR caseworkers focus their efforts on helping those who are most clearly and obviously disabled. These 'who to help' decisions can often be difficult--here are some referral and screening tools that can help. Use these to assess client disability and the likelihood of benefits acquisition.
NCCEH Forms
Have you completed a disability application or are you in the process? Let us know!
- Download the NC SOAR Outcome Reporting Form here!
- Fill out our online NC SOAR Outcome Reporting Form here!
SSA & DDS Forms, Applications and Important Information
- NEW!! SSA-1696 (Appointment of a Representative)
- 2012 Benefit Amounts
- NEW!! SSA-8000 (SSI Application- Revised 1.2012)
- Blue Book (Listing of Disabilities)
- Information and Tips for Pending Applications and Appeals
Worksheets from the Training Manual
| Form | view |
| Applicant Tracking Worksheet | word doc |
| Applicant Assessment Worksheet | word doc |
| Functional Information Worksheet | word doc |
| Medical Evidence Worksheet | word doc |
| Medical Information for SSI/SSDI | word doc |
| Medical Summary Report Worksheet | word doc |
| SSI Benefits and Work Worksheet | word doc |
| SSI & SSDI Non-Medical Documentation Checklist | word doc |
| Substance Use Worksheet | word doc |
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