SSA:
*Meet with SSA district or local primary office managers to:
--discuss work of outreach 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 address of outreach staff’s agency 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 outreach
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, and (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 outreach agency staff is optimal; (3) ask DDS to consider having
claims examiners contact claimant’s representative for additional information
before a claim is denied; and (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 SSA 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. Alternatively, SSA and DDS can train outreach staff to complete
application forms with homeless people who are unable/unwilling to come to
the SSA office or to do a phone interview.
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 that individuals need are provided.
*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. SSA AND DDS CAN PROVIDE
TRAINING. IN ADDITION, CLINICIANS WHO HAVE EXPERTISE IN PROVIDING/DEVELOPING
MEDICAL EVIDENCE AND WHO HAVE FAMILIARITY WITH COMMUNITY WORKERS’ CONSTRAINTS,
SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED TO PROVIDE TRAINING. WHILE THIS IS A COST, IT IS
MINIMAL COMPARED TO THE IMPACT SUCH TRAINING CAN HAVE.
Yvonne M. Perret
Summer, 2003