# Presentation: 741242

## The SSI Program

*Jeremy Rosen*
*Staff Attorney*
*National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty*
*Tel:  (202) 638-2535 Ext. 207*
*E-mail:  jrosen@nlchp.org*

## How Does the SSI Program Work?

- SSI applications are taken at Federal Social Security offices located around the country
- Initial disability determinations are made at the State level, by the Disability Determination Service (DDS)
- DDS also handles initial appeals
- DDS makes decisions based on paper file; they never see the applicant

## How Does the SSI Program Work? (2)

- If applicant loses initial appeal, and appeals a second time, they receive a hearing in front of a Federal Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)
- At the ALJ hearing, the client can give testimony – this provides the judge with an opportunity to see the person whose case they are evaluating
- Afterward, ALJ level cases can be appealed to SSA Appeals Council and then to Federal Court

## 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

## 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

## 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

## 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

## Tools to Help Access SSI

- SSA HOPE NOFA
- Fact sheet on this is included in binders
- $8 million, to be distributed through a competitive grant process
- Applications available now, due on November 25; awards in January
- Likely to be approximately 30 awards, of approximately $200,000

## Tools to Help Access SSI (2)

- Awards to last four years (3 years of work and 1 year of program evaluation)
- Year 2 grants will be 25% lower than year 1; year 3 grants will be 50% lower than year 1
- Year to year renewal funding dependent on appropriations from Congress
- Key elements of programs likely to be funded include outreach to disabled homeless persons, development of medical evidence needed to establish disability under SSA’s rules, and case management assistance in completing SSI applications and in proceeding through the application and appeals process

## Tools to Help Access SSI (3)

- Examples of potential grant proposals are: presumptive eligibility (“Baltimore project” or something similar), pre-release agreements, representative payee programs
- Desired outcomes for projects are reduced case processing times – meaning an increased number of cases filed by eligible homeless persons being approved at the initial application or reconsideration stages
- NLCHP will try to provide TA regarding applications

## Tools To Help Access SSI (4)

- SSI Manual
- Being prepared by me, with help from Yvonne and others, under contract to PRA and to SAMHSA
- 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 this winter, at no cost
- A follow-up training toolkit will also be produced; that should be available in mid-2004

## Tools to Help Access SSI (5)

- 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

## Tools to Help Access SSI (6)

- SSI outreach and application training
- Yvonne and I, as we are doing here at the Policy Academy, 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](mailto:jrosen@nlchp.org)__ to join_