STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF FACETS OF SSI PROJECT WITHOUT FUNDING:
SSA:
*Meet with SSA district or local primary office managers to:
--discuss work of staff involved in assisting homeless adults with
SSI/SSDI claims
--determine methods of collaboration to make these claims move more
smoothly, e.g., (1) possible use of staff’s agency’s address
for claimant to use if needed; (2) submission of 1696 Appointment of
Representative form with each homeless person’s claim; (3) setting
appointments so that agency staff don’t have to wait with a person
to submit claim; (4) ask SSA to consider assigning particular claims
representatives to serve this population. This would facilitate communication
for agencies’ staffs and claimants alike; (5) if DDS agrees,
have cases flagged for claims examiners there to know claimant is homeless.
DDS:
*Meet with DDS medical relations officer to: (1) determine how to facilitate
provision of medical evidence; (2) work to ensure that contact between
claims examiners and agency staff is optimal; (3) ask DDS to consider
having claims examiners contact claimant’s representative for
additional information before a claim is denied; (4) ask DDS to consider
assigning particular claims examiners to flagged cases.
PRESUMPTIVE ELIGIBILITY:
*In meeting with SSA, ask SSA for clear guidelines re: current presumptive
eligibility rules.
*Ask SSA/DDS to consider a pilot project in which they and DDS train
community staff re: SSI/SSDI eligibility and authorize presumptive
eligibility similar to the SSI Outreach Project process to determine
if this could assist more effectively.
STAFF RESOURCES:
*Arrange collaboration with mental health providers re: consultative
evaluations, psychiatric evaluations to determine if psychiatrists/psychologists
would be willing to do such evaluations on a limited number of individuals.
*Form coalition of outreach/agency staff who are serving this population
so as to ensure that all services provided are done so.
*Form agreements among agencies that a certain percentage of existing
staff’s time will be devoted to SSI/SSDI claims.
*Provide means for staff to conduct outreach, even if it means vehicle
sharing.
TRAINING:
MANY WORKERS MISUNDERSTAND THE DISABILITY DETERMINATION PROCESS.
CLEAR, COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING OF STAFF IS CRITICAL. USE SSA/DDS TO
DO SO AND BRING IN, EVEN FOR ONE SESSION, TRAINERS WITH EXPERTISE
IN PROVIDING/DEVELOPING MEDICAL EVIDENCE AND WHO HAVE FAMILIARITY
WITH COMMUNITY WORKERS’ CONSTRAINTS. WHILE THIS IS A COST,
IT IS MINIMAL COMPARED TO THE IMPACT SUCH TRAINING CAN HAVE.
Yvonne M. Perret,
January, 2003