SOAR Specialist

SUMMARY:

SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) is a model that helps individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness who have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder apply for Social Security disability benefits.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

N/A

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Duties and Responsibilities reflect the general details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and shall not be construed as a detailed description of all related work assignments that may be inherent to the job.

• Work with referral sources and community partners to identify applicants through team meetings, outreach, and referrals.
• Complete interviews with individuals to gather information to complete SSI/SSDI applications.
• Gather medical records and other information to complete SSI/SSDI applications.
• Write SOAR Medical Summary Reports for individual applications.
• Accompany individuals to appointments at the Social Security Administration.
• Coordinate visits to medical doctors, psychiatrists, and other specialists to obtain evidence for the application.
• Coordinate case management services with partners and help with providing case management services to individuals when needed.
• Transfer and/or terminate consume cases in a professional manner.
• Work in partnership with SSI/SSDI office regarding eligibility for consumers.
• Assist consumers with appeals if denied.
• Conduct outreach to engage individual’s in need of services and identify potential SOAR candidates.
• Submit court documents if required and attend court hearings if necessary to advocate for client
• Uphold minor a caseload of clients.
• Perform other duties as required by supervisor.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Maturity and sensitivity to the special needs of PPBH clients while possessing the knowledge of behavioral health and medical conditions.
• Ability to communicate client needs and information to behavioral healthcare staff.
• Ability to utilize and navigate an electronic health record.
• Must possess an understanding for agency programs and make referrals.
• Must be service oriented with good customer service skills and the ability to maintain client confidentiality.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or certification as a Peer Specialist with at least 2 years of experience working directly with homelessness individuals who have a serious mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorder
• Lived experience of homelessness or mental illness a plus
• Maturity and sensitivity to the special needs of the mentally ill population
• Ability to work in the community and meet individuals experiencing homelessness
• Must have evidence of ongoing training and education in related areas such as mental illness, substance abuse, and/or homelessness
• Ability to work in non-traditional settings and unstructured environments
• Good organizational, interpersonal and communication skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction supervision.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule when necessary.
• Good writing skills and ability to analyze extensive data and create written reports with accuracy and brevity
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and engagement skills with a challenging population and in non-traditional work conditions
• COMPUTER SKILLS: Must have Intermediate to advanced experience in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), the use of personal computers, and standard office productivity software.
• LANGUAGE SKILLS:Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operation and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals

REQUIREMENTS:

• A valid Class E Drivers’ License for positions requiring driving personal or Agency vehicle on business.
• Must maintain a minimum Bodily Injury & Property Liability insurance limit of at least $50,000 for positions that require driving personal own vehicle (POV) on Agency business. (Proof Required)
• PPBH is a 24/7 Agency. All employees must be available as needed when required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; climb or balance; stoop; kneel; or crawl; and talk or hear.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Frequent travel by foot, car, or other means appropriate to making contact with population
• Overtime when necessary to meet project deadlines
• Must be able to adjust to the environment of the target population including making visits to encampments, shelters, and personal living environments when needed
• Sitting for extended periods of time
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other devices and objects