Everything you need to go from a first conversation to a complete application, in the order you will need it.
Before You Start
Set up Agency Settings once: agency name, representative name with credentials, Registered Representative ID, mailing address, phone, and the local field office fax. Every form pulls from here.
Bring to the First Sitting
The person, ready and willing.
Any ID they have and any letters from SSA.
Names of every place they got care, even if they only remember the street or neighborhood.
Medication bottles or a list.
Past jobs, even short ones.
Practice on the sample case first. It walks every step with a made-up person.
The Seven Steps
What You Do
Enter the basics once, including a plan for staying in touch.
What the Workspace Does
Carries the details into every form.
What You Walk Away With
Claim details set and a contact plan for staying in touch.
The Filing Order
1
Fax the SSA-3288 to the field office first. Status usually comes back in about two business days.
2
Start the online application for both SSDI and SSI as early as possible. Print or email the reentry number the moment it appears. That locks in the protective filing date.
3
Fax the SSA-8000-BK, SSA-1696, and one SSA-827 to the field office.
4
Send a records request to every provider.
Anyone who served in the military, in any role, must also apply for VA benefits.
Working Across Several Sittings
Most applications take more than one sitting. People have food, clothing, and appointments to get to, and phones that run out of minutes mid-month.
Open a new case and fill Client Basics, including the contact plan.
Get as far as the person can go.
Save the case file to your device and add a line to the Session Log. Save again after adding the log entry.
Keeping Information Safe
The case lives in this browser tab. Nothing is stored on a server.
Save the case file to your own device to pause, and load it to pick back up.
Names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and reentry numbers never go to the AI.
Any form with a Social Security number goes out by fax or secure email only.
Every signature is wet ink, by hand.
The workspace never asks for bank routing or account numbers.
What the Workspace Will Not Do
It never rates how severe a condition is.
It never predicts approval.
It never judges whether someone is telling the truth.
It never writes questions about abuse, sexual history, or victimization. You use Yvonne's scripted questions for those.
It never signs or files anything. You file.
Quick Start
SOAR Application Workspace
Quick Start · Working Edition · November 2026
Set Up Once
Agency name. Representative name with credentials and Registered Representative ID. Mailing address. Daytime phone. Field office name and fax.
Follow the Seven Steps
1. Client Basics: Enter the basics once, including a plan for staying in touch.
2. Guided Interview: Work through the Applicant Assessment Worksheet with Yvonne's guidance and Ways to Ask.
3. Providers: Name every place the person got care, even when they only remember part of the name.
4. Releases and Letters: Review and print the releases and letters.
5. Application Drafts: Answer the guided questions and review any estimates with the person.
6. Functional Report: Run the functional interview and log evidence.
7. Packet: Check readiness, review every page, and get wet signatures.
File in This Order
1. Fax the SSA-3288 to the field office first. Status usually comes back in about two business days.
2. Start the online application for both SSDI and SSI as early as possible. Print or email the reentry number the moment it appears. That locks in the protective filing date.
3. Fax the SSA-8000-BK, SSA-1696, and one SSA-827 to the field office.
4. Send a records request to every provider.
Anyone who served in the military, in any role, must also apply for VA benefits.
Keep the Case Safe
The case lives in this browser tab. Nothing is stored on a server.
Save the case file to your own device to pause, and load it to pick back up.
Names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and reentry numbers never go to the AI.
Any form with a Social Security number goes out by fax or secure email only.
Every signature is wet ink, by hand.
The workspace never asks for bank routing or account numbers.
Save after every sitting. Use the Session Log to record the next step. Review every page, get wet signatures, and file it yourself.