Social service organizations, health care entities, and legal aid agencies are non-profit organizations that help individuals file for SSA disability benefits. These agencies typically help individuals with low to moderate incomes access a wide variety of federal, state, and local benefits and services, such as in-home support services, food stamps, and general relief. Representatives from these non-profit organizations help claimants file for SSI benefits by completing the necessary forms through SSA’s online process or via a paper application. One model in use across the country, with success on several metrics, is SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR).
Many entities engaged in third-party assistance found it cost-effective because the services provided led to increased financial stability for people awarded SSI and allowed medical facilities to be reimbursed by Medicaid for care they had provided. In San Francisco, the Department of Public Health estimates a return on investment of nearly 7:1 from helping people apply for disability benefits. Enhancing how evidence is collected in disability claims could lead to large efficiency gains, including stabilized economic conditions for individuals, timely delivery of needed medical care, and a more streamlined and cost-effective process of determining eligibility for SSI benefits. The Board believes that increasing the collaboration between SSA, DDSs, and these private organizations should be an important goal for all parties.
The Statement is included in SSA’s 2012 Annual Report on the SSI Program. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 gives Board members the opportunity, individually or jointly, to include their views on SSI in SSA’s annual report to the President and Congress on the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The Board or one of its members has submitted a statement every year since 1998, except for 2024 due to the lack of a quorum.