SOAR in the Community

Nationally, for 2020, there were 4,273 approvals on initial applications for SSI/SSDI.  It is estimated that in 2020 alone, SSI/SSDI for the individuals served by SOAR brought over $518 million into the economies of participating states and localities.

Key eligibility criteria or the ‘four characteristics’ of an individual’s situation exist to apply for Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits. The SSA is the federal agency that will award SSI/SSDI benefits for individuals. Find the four characteristics below:

1. Individual has a serious mental illness or exhibits symptoms and/or has serious physical illnesses that affect his/her ability to work at a substantial gainful level. For 2020, that level is making $1,260/month in income.
2. The illness(es) or condition(s) have lasted or are expected to last for at least 12 months (or result in death).
3. Individual is currently exhibiting symptoms of mental illness or has periods with worsening of symptoms that prevents sustainable employment. For example:
   1. Psychotic Symptoms (positive or negative)
   2. Depressive Symptoms (decreased energy, lack of motivation, suicide attempts)
   3. Manic Symptoms (racing thoughts, disorganized thoughts)
   4. Anxious feelings (paranoia, nervousness)
   5. Cognitive deficits (brain injury, problems with concentration, memory, etc.)
   6. History of trauma (history of abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, etc.)
4. For applicants with mental illness, he/she has marked restrictions in at least two of these functional areas, or extreme limitations in one area:
   1. Understand, remember, or apply information (memory, following instructions, solving problems, etc.)
   2. Interact with others (getting along with others, anger, avoidance, etc.)
   3. Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (as they relate to the ability to complete tasks)
   4. Adapt or manage oneself (hygiene, responding to change, setting realistic goals, etc.