Slide 1:

SSI and Chronic Homelessness

Presenters:

Jeremy Rosen, Staff Attorney
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

Yvonne Perret, LCSW-C
Advocacy and Training Center

Slide 2:

SSI and Chronic Homelessness

• Definition: people who have been homeless for at least one year and who are disabled; many in this population should be eligible for SSI benefits
  • 25%-30% of homeless persons have a mental disability
  • 46% of homeless persons have chronic physical health problems
• But ironically, too many people experiencing long term homelessness are not receiving SSI due to barriers
  • 40% of homeless persons may be qualified for SSI; 11% receive it

Slide 3:

SSI and Chronic Homelessness (2)

• How can disability benefits help end long term homelessness?
  • Determination of disability qualifies people for additional public and subsidized housing programs
  • SSI provides income (up to $552 per month nationally, plus supplements in many states) that can be used to pay rent in supportive housing or other public/private housing
    • SSDI can mean even more income

Slide 4:

SSI and Chronic Homelessness (3)

• In 38 states, receipt of even $1 in SSI means automatic receipt of Medicaid, to cover health care and other supportive service costs; in other states, a separate application for Medicaid is required, but receipt of SSI is either automatically or typically sufficient evidence to qualify a person for Medicaid
  • After a 24 month waiting period, receipt of SSDI brings access to Medicare
• SSI eligibility also guarantees food stamp eligibility, with a waiver of work requirements

Slide 5:

Barriers to Receipt of SSI

• Why don’t eligible people qualify for SSI?
  • Complexity of application forms
  • Lack of medical documentation of disability, or inability to access existing medical documentation
  • Inability to remain in contact with SSA
  • Length of disability determination process; it may take 1-2 years for an applicant to reach the hearing stage

Slide 6:

Barriers to Receipt of SSI (2)

• Lack of identification or permanent address
• Incarceration
• Drug and/or alcohol use

Slide 7:

Removing Barriers / Lessons Learned!

• Consumers need help to expedite applications
  • Homeless persons simply will not get through this process alone.
  • Case managers and other program staff need to assist with completing applications, obtaining and submitting medical records and having evaluations done (consultative exams can be done by treating physician at a shelter, clinic or other homeless service program).

Slide 8:

Removing Barriers / Lessons Learned! (2)

• Consumers need help! (continued)
  • Case managers can provide key functional evidence, especially important in mental health cases; they can also get reports signed by doctors to make them medical evidence.
  • Case managers should develop relationships with DDS staff handling the claim, so that DDS can tell them when more evidence is needed.

Slide 9:

Removing Barriers (3) !

Legal Rights of Homeless Persons

• Homeless persons DO NOT need a photo ID in order to apply for SSI.
• Homeless persons are eligible for SSI even if they have used or are currently using drugs and/or alcohol, as long as they can be found disabled due to physical and/or mental impairments that would remain if drug/alcohol use were to stop. Note that drug/alcohol use does not actually have to stop.
• SSI recipients cannot receive benefits for any month in which they are in jail (or another public institution) for the entire month - but if they are out for even one day, they are eligible to receive SSI for that month. Benefits are teminated after a suspension of 12 consecutive months.

Slide 10:

Removing Barriers (4) !

Legal Rights of Homeless Persons

• Homeless persons DO NOT need a permanent address in order to apply for SSI.
• Homeless persons can receive SSI while living on the street or in a privately run homeless shelter.
• Homeless persons can receive SSI for any six months, out of a nine month period, where they are living in a public emergency homeless shelter. A month only counts against this limit if the person is living in the shelter every day of that month.

Slide 11:

Tools To Help Access SSI

• SSI Manual and Toolkit
  • Manual being prepared by me, under contract to SAMHSA (PATH program).
  • Intended for non-attorney case management staff, to walk them through the entire process of helping homeless persons apply for and receive SSI, as early in the application/appeals process as possible. Should be available in early to mid 2004, at no cost.
  • A training toolkit, which can be used to present workshops on this material, is being produced by Yvonne (also for SAMHSA); should be available later in 2004.

Slide 12:

Tools to Help Access SSI (2)

• SSA Pre-Release Program
  • Jails or prisons sign “pre-release” agreements with local SSA field offices
  • Jail/prison agrees to provide SSA with names of potential SSI applicants
  • SSA agrees to come to jail/prison and take SSI applications before prisoners are released
  • Idea is to expedite these applications in order to ensure that initial decisions can be made “pre-release”
  • Program is under-utilized for several reasons
    • SSA FO’s are too busy – they don’t promote it
    • Jails/prisons are either unaware or uninterested

Slide 13:

Tools to Help Access SSI (3)

• SSA HOPE NOFA
  • Initial appropriation of $8 million, being distributed through a competitive grant process
  • Goal of grant program is to test best practices in expediting SSI eligibility for homeless persons
  • Applications were due on November 25; awards in March/April, 2004. Likely to be approximately 30 awards of approximately $200,000
  • Depending on FY 2004 appropriations, new round of grants may be funded next year

Slide 14

Tools to Help Access SSI (4)

• SSI outreach and application training
  • Yvonne and I provide training and technical assistance on these issues
• SSI listserv
  • Operated by NLCHP
  • No cost to become a member
  • Keeps people updated on national, state, and local developments re: SSI and homelessness
  • Email jrosen@nlchp.org to join