Demonstration environment. Use sample data only. Nothing you enter is stored on a server.

NovaCMSSI/SSDI Edition

A Guide for Your First Case

How to Use Me

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

Step 01

Client Basics

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.
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Client Basics

Sample Case

Ray Sample Tolliver
SSI and SSDI
Through the agency drop-in center
Save Case FileNext Step →
Step 02

Guided Interview

What You Do
Work through the Applicant Assessment Worksheet with Yvonne's guidance and Ways to Ask.
What the Workspace Does
Suggests follow-up questions with names and identifiers removed before anything reaches the AI.
What You Walk Away With
The person's story in their own words.
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Guided Interview

Sample Case

Warehouse work, 2016 to 2019
Family, shelters, then sleeping outside
Take the time to listen.
Save Case FileNext Step →
Step 03

Providers

What You Do
Name every place the person got care, even when they only remember part of the name.
What the Workspace Does
Finds providers in the national NPI Registry and your agency directory.
What You Walk Away With
A provider list with fax numbers you can review and complete.
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Providers

Sample Case

Records requested
Follow-up due
Records received
Save Case FileNext Step →
Step 04

Releases and Letters

What You Do
Review and print the releases and letters.
What the Workspace Does
Fills the SSA-3288, one SSA-827 for each provider, the SSA-1696, and a records request letter per provider.
What You Walk Away With
Signature-ready forms.
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Releases and Letters

Sample Case

One release for every provider
Addressed and ready to fax
Representative details prefilled
Save Case FileNext Step →
Step 05

Application Drafts

What You Do
Answer the guided questions and review any estimates with the person.
What the Workspace Does
Fills the SSA-8000-BK with skip logic and the SSA-3368 Disability Report from the details you already gathered.
What You Walk Away With
Printable SSI and Disability Report drafts, plus a worksheet for the online application.
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Application Drafts

SSI ApplicationDisability Report (SSA-3368)

From Client Basics and the Guided Interview

Schizoaffective disorder · Chronic back pain
Stopped working · April 2019
Risperidone, 2 mg (Sample)
Save Case FileDownload the SSA-3368 →
Step 06

Functional Report

What You Do
Run the functional interview and log evidence.
What the Workspace Does
Drafts the Medical Summary Report from your sources and audits it.
What You Walk Away With
A report that documents what the person cannot do.
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Functional Report

Sample Case

Dated observations and the person's words
Sources linked to functional areas
Ready for human review
Save Case FileNext Step →
Step 07

Packet

What You Do
Check readiness, review every page, and get wet signatures.
What the Workspace Does
Builds the Field Office Fax Bundle and the full packet.
What You Walk Away With
A reviewed packet ready for you to file.
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Packet

Sample Case

Review outstanding items
Wet signatures required
Every document in one place
Save Case FileNext Step →
NovaCMSSI/SSDI EditionSample Case
01Client Basics
02Guided Interview
03Providers
04Releases and Letters
05Application Drafts
06Functional Report
07Packet

Ray Sample Tolliver · Sample Case

Client Basics

Sample Case

Ray Sample Tolliver
SSI and SSDI
Through the agency drop-in center
Save Case FileNext Step →

The Filing Order

  1. 1

    Fax the SSA-3288 to the field office first. Status usually comes back in about two business days.

  2. 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. 3

    Fax the SSA-8000-BK, SSA-1696, and one SSA-827 to the field office.

  4. 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

NovaCM

Quick Start · SSI/SSDI Edition

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. 1. Client Basics: Enter the basics once, including a plan for staying in touch.
  2. 2. Guided Interview: Work through the Applicant Assessment Worksheet with Yvonne's guidance and Ways to Ask.
  3. 3. Providers: Name every place the person got care, even when they only remember part of the name.
  4. 4. Releases and Letters: Review and print the releases and letters.
  5. 5. Application Drafts: Answer the guided questions and review any estimates with the person.
  6. 6. Functional Report: Run the functional interview and log evidence.
  7. 7. Packet: Check readiness, review every page, and get wet signatures.

File in This Order

  1. 1. Fax the SSA-3288 to the field office first. Status usually comes back in about two business days.
  2. 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. 3. Fax the SSA-8000-BK, SSA-1696, and one SSA-827 to the field office.
  4. 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.

Ready When You Are.

Open the Workspace