Disability Benefits

Overview

The Mental Health Project provides free legal and social services to low-income New Yorkers with mental health concerns who have questions about obtaining and/or maintaining federal Social Security benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability (SSD), through the Social Security Administration.

MHP’s social work team assists eligible individuals with initial applications for Social Security disability benefits.  The team also offers trainings to other organizations on how to help people apply for disability benefits. MHP is a part of the Disability Advocacy Program, a State-funded program for non-profit legal service organizations. Our DAP team provides representation or assistance to people whose SSI/SSD applications are wrongly denied or benefits are improperly stopped. Our DAP team also engage in policy work and impact litigation, as well as provides support to other DAP programs.

MHP utilizes the SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) model when applying for federal disability benefits. The goal of SOAR is to increase access to SSI/SSD for eligible adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have serious mental health concerns.

How We Can Help

• File benefits applications.
•  Explain how to appeal a denial of disability benefits.
•  Answer questions about ongoing benefits and continuing disability reviews.
•  Obtain medical records.
• Provide advice or representation at all appeal stages including reconsideration, hearings, and denials at the Appeals Council stage.
• Provide representation in federal court.
• Engage in broader policy work and impact litigation.
• Participate in local, statewide, and nationwide task forces.
• Provide training and technical assistance in the community.