SOAR Ohio has been soaring with success for some of Ohio’s most vulnerable community members. The National SOAR TA Center ranked Ohio among the top 10 states in fiscal years 2019-20 for achieving a 65 percent approval rate with claims decisions at 97 days or less for 300 Ohioans.
COHHIO’s SOAR Ohio certified community agency staff assists people living with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness, at-risk of homelessness, or preparing to exit institutions to navigate the complex SSI/SSDI application process so they can apply for benefits and potentially secure housing.
SOAR Ohio’s approval rate of 65 percent this year increased from 54 percent last year. By comparison, unassisted approval rates for people who apply directly through the Social Security Administration, range from 15-22 percent on all first-time applications.
Along with this success nationally we would also like to share some good news about how SOAR Ohio will continue to make a positive impact into SFY 2020-21.
Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services awarded COHHIO $100,000 for a second year to provide training and technical assistance to SOAR-certified agencies and their staff to expand the program to reach more vulnerable community members across Ohio.
In addition, COHHIO was awarded $100,000 from the Developmental Disabilities Council of Ohio and Ohio Statewide Independent Living Centers to support training and technical assistance to expand best practices of SOAR Ohio certification to county-level DD board staff as well as staff with the Centers for Independent Living throughout the state. This will assist in increasing advocacy efforts for individuals living with development disabilities starting October 2020.
COHHIO greatly appreciates support for SOAR Ohio from OMHAS, the DD Council of Ohio, and OSILC!
If your agency would like to learn more about how to become SOAR certified please visit our site at https://cohhio.org/programs/soar-ohio/.
Thank You,
Amy Lamerson, MSW
Ohio SOAR and TANF Director
