Disability Navigator Program

The Disability Navigator Program helps individuals with a disability or blindness and financial needs secure Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Individuals work with a Disability Navigator to complete the SSI application, a process that can be lengthy and difficult without help.

To be eligible for this program, individuals need to receive or have applied for Aid to the Needy and Disabled (AND) cash assistance. Disability Navigators help individuals transition from AND benefits to receiving SSI. Since AND is a temporary source of income, individuals will receive more money for a longer period of time if they are receiving SSI instead.

Individuals can be anywhere in the process of applying for SSI to receive assistance from a Disability Navigator. Individuals who have not heard of SSI or have previously been deniedcan also receive help.

There is no application for the Disability Navigator Program. Individuals who have applied and qualified for AND are automatically referred to our Disability Navigator staff. The Disability Navigator will contact you directly if a referral has been made on your behalf. If you think you should have been contacted but have not, email andnavigator@co.larimer.co.us or call (970) 498-6908.

Download a fact sheet about the Disability Navigator Program.

Expectations for Working with a Disability Navigator

This program requires the eligible participant and Disability Navigator to work together to complete the SSI application and gather the necessary information to be submitted to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Depending on the participant’s situation, there may also be involvement from agencies within the community who work with the participant as well as any friends and/or family that the participant would like to include. 

The participant must be willing to assign the Disability Navigator as their Authorized Representative. This will allow the Navigator to gather needed medical and financial information. 

Clients need to meet with the Disability Navigator to complete paperwork and commit to at least six weeks of contact to compile all required information. Additionally, the client and Disability Navigator must work through any requests from the SSA together.

Benefits of Working with a Disability Navigator

• Individuals applying for SSI through the Disability Navigator Program are more likely to complete the SSI application and be approved. Since the program started in January 2022, the Disability Navigators have helped 21 clients successfully transition to SSI.
   
• If an individual’s SSI application is denied, the Disability Navigator Program can help the applicant file an appeal. Working with a navigator in this process may lead to more favorable outcomes.
   
• AND recipients need to reapply to the AND program every redetermination period. SSI recipients, however, do not need to reapply.
   
• It can be difficult for clients experiencing homelessness and symptoms of their medical condition(s) to stay up to date with the demands of the Social Security Administration. This program allows the Navigator to be a second set of eyes on the process. As an Authorized Representative, the SSA will also send requests to the Navigator, lessening the likelihood that an applicant will be denied before all the information required is received.