Press release [Oct. 5, 2009]

Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities
Frank E. Shelp, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner
Office of Communications
- Two Peachtree Street NW, Suite 22.224, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3142 404-657-2254

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 5,2009

PRESS RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Kristie N. Swink knswink@,dhr.state.ga.us

GEORGIA DBHDD SOAR PROJECT TOPS LIST AMONG 30 STATES Case Managers Increase Approval Rating Three Times the Average
ATLANTA - A state program that helps the homeless sign up for social security benefits is among the
most effective in the nation, according to an outcome report released by the Policy Research Associated, Inc. For homeless individuals, the average approval rate for Supplemental Security Income1 Social Security Disability Income (SSUSSDI) is less than 20 percent. Case managers trained by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) SSIISSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery Program (SOAR) increased the approval rate for those they assisted to 76 percent, more than three times the average.
"Our agency is committed to recovery and ending the homeless cycle for the consumers we serve," says Kristin Lupfer, SOAR Project Specialist. "By helping individuals gain access to income and health insurance (via SSI and Medicaid) we are helping them on the first stepping stone to recovery."
The SOAR initiative is designed to increase access to SSIISSDI for individuals who are homeless and disabled due to mental illnesslor co-occurring disorders. Having the income to pay for housing and Medicaid to pay for healthcare helps individuals who are homeless and mentally ill to live in Georgia's communities with far fewer hospitalizations and incarcerations.
DBHDD has expanded the SOAR initiative statewide, training nearly 250 agencies and 679 individual case managers in Georgia. DBHDD has been able to collect data on 425 cases that were submitted and of those, 322 were approved. The SOAR program has also improved the appeals process. The average wait time in Georgia for a hearing when an applicant is appealing a denial is 2 -3 years. SOAR submitted applications are being decided in an average of 83 days.
For more information on SOAR, please visit www.~rainc.com/soar.