When Dan Reardon began working as a volunteer at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), he was the benefits acquisition team. When CCH received one of SSA’s HOPE grants in 2004, the Benefits Acquisition and Retention Team (BART) program became a full-fledged department, including Reardon as project director, a physician, psychiatrist, an occupational therapist, a case manager, and a data specialist. They now have an advisory board, consisting of BART members, representatives from the regional and local SSA offices, a DDS professional relations officer and disability examiner, a manager from the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), members of a partner agency that conducts homeless outreach, and three consumers.
BART team members assist clients with the application, which they complete together and submit to the local SSA office. They also compile a complete medical evidence package, which is sent with the application. The application is flagged and expedited by SSA, the DDS, and even the OHA in instances when a hearing is necessary. Due to relationships the BART has developed, they have open communication with SSA and the DDS, who will contact them when further information is needed to make a determination. This open and expedited communication process has shown great success, even in its first year, with 75 percent of initial applications approved and time to approval averaging 40 days, with a maximum of 90 days.