Free, plain-language guidance on disability benefits, workplace accommodations, and the application process — for people with disabilities and those who support them.
This platform covers the most common questions people with disabilities face — from understanding benefit programs to navigating workplace rights. Use the tabs above or click a topic below.
The two main federal disability benefit programs — SSI and SSDI — work very differently. Understanding which one applies to you is the first step.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based program. You don't need a work history to qualify — eligibility is based on limited income and resources. In 2025, the federal SSI benefit is up to $967/month for an individual. Most states add a small supplement. SSI recipients typically qualify for Medicaid automatically.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is based on your work history. To qualify, you need enough work credits — generally 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the last 10 years, though younger workers need fewer. The benefit amount is based on your average lifetime earnings. After 24 months of SSDI, you become eligible for Medicare.
Some people qualify for both programs at the same time — this is called "concurrent benefits." This happens when your SSDI benefit is low enough that SSI can supplement it.
Social Security uses a strict, specific definition of disability — stricter than most people expect. To qualify, your condition must:
Social Security does not consider partial or short-term disability. If you can do any full-time work that exists in the national economy — even if it's not your previous job — you may be denied.
Social Security uses a five-step evaluation process to determine disability. The process considers your current work activity, the severity of your condition, whether your condition meets a listed impairment, whether you can do your past work, and whether you can do any other work.
Yes — both SSI and SSDI have programs designed to encourage work without immediately cutting off benefits.
For SSDI — Trial Work Period: You can work for up to 9 months (not necessarily consecutive) within a 60-month window and keep your full SSDI benefit, regardless of earnings. In 2025, a trial work month is triggered when you earn more than $1,110/month.
For SSDI — Extended Period of Eligibility: After your trial work period, you have 36 months during which you can receive benefits for any month you don't earn above the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit ($1,620/month in 2025 for non-blind individuals).
For SSI — Earned Income Exclusion: SSI doesn't count the first $65 of monthly earnings, then counts only half of the rest. So working part-time may reduce your SSI benefit but not eliminate it entirely.
Social Security's Ticket to Work program provides free employment support services and protects your benefits while you try to return to work.
SSI and Medicaid: In most states, receiving SSI automatically qualifies you for Medicaid. A few states (known as "209(b) states") have slightly different rules. Medicaid covers doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, and often long-term care and home health services.
SSDI and Medicare: After receiving SSDI for 24 months, you become eligible for Medicare — regardless of your age. Medicare Part A (hospital) is generally free. Part B (medical) has a monthly premium. Most SSDI recipients qualify for a low-income subsidy (Extra Help) to reduce prescription costs under Part D.
Working and keeping Medicaid: If you receive SSI and return to work, you may be able to keep Medicaid even after your SSI cash benefit ends — through a provision called 1619(b). You must continue to have a disabling condition and meet income limits set by your state.
Social Security conducts periodic Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) to verify you still qualify. For most people, CDRs happen every 3 years; for those expected to improve, every 6–18 months.
Changes you must report to Social Security:
Failure to report changes can result in overpayments, which Social Security will seek to recover. If you receive an overpayment notice, you can request a waiver if you weren't at fault and repayment would cause financial hardship.
SNAP (food assistance): SSI recipients automatically qualify for SNAP in most states. SSDI recipients may qualify depending on income and household size. Apply through your state's benefits agency.
Housing assistance: People with disabilities may qualify for Section 8 housing vouchers or HUD-assisted housing. Wait lists can be long, but many housing authorities give priority to people with disabilities. Contact your local Public Housing Authority.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Helps with heating and cooling costs. Eligibility is income-based. Apply through your state's social services agency.
State programs: Many states offer additional cash assistance, transportation subsidies, assistive technology programs, and personal care services for people with disabilities. Contact your state's developmental disabilities agency or vocational rehabilitation office for more information.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations — unless doing so would cause undue hardship. Knowing your rights is the first step.
A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, work environment, or how work is done that allows a qualified person with a disability to do the job. Examples include:
Accommodations are "reasonable" if they don't create an undue hardship — significant difficulty or expense for the employer given their size and resources. Courts have ruled that even small employers rarely face true undue hardship for most common accommodations.
You don't need to use magic words — you don't even need to say "ADA" or "reasonable accommodation." You simply need to tell your employer that you have a medical condition that's affecting your work and that you need an adjustment.
Best practices for requesting an accommodation:
Your employer must engage in an "interactive process" — a good-faith dialogue with you to find an effective accommodation. They can't simply refuse without discussion.
If your employer denies your request, they should explain why. Common legitimate reasons include undue hardship or that the accommodation would fundamentally alter the job. However, many denials are not legitimate.
Steps to take if denied:
Retaliation for requesting accommodations or filing a complaint is illegal under the ADA.
The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees. Smaller employers may be covered under state disability discrimination laws, which are often broader.
To be protected by the ADA, you must be a "qualified individual with a disability" — meaning you have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, and you can perform the essential functions of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation.
The ADA's definition of disability is intentionally broad. It includes conditions that are episodic or in remission (cancer, depression, epilepsy), conditions controlled by medication, and conditions that only substantially limit major life activities when active.
The ADA also covers: job applicants (you can't be denied a job because of a disability), employees with a history of disability, and employees regarded as having a disability even if they don't.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for serious health conditions. FMLA applies to employers with 50+ employees and employees who have worked there at least 12 months and 1,250 hours in the past year.
FMLA leave can be taken all at once, in blocks, or intermittently (a few hours at a time for appointments, for example). You can use accrued paid leave during FMLA, and your employer may require it.
The ADA and FMLA often work together. After 12 weeks of FMLA leave, you may still be entitled to additional unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA — courts have upheld this in many cases.
Some states have additional leave laws with stronger protections — paid family and medical leave programs, lower employee thresholds, or longer leave periods.
The Social Security disability application process is long and has a high initial denial rate. Understanding what to expect — and how to prepare — significantly improves your chances.
You can apply for SSDI and SSI in three ways:
For SSI applications, you must apply by phone or in person (not online) if you're also applying for Medicaid at the same time in most states.
Apply as soon as possible. If approved, benefits are paid from your application date (for SSDI, there's a 5-month waiting period from when your disability began). Every month you delay is potentially lost income.
Personal information:
Medical documentation (critical — this is what wins or loses cases):
Work history: Names and addresses of employers and job duties for the past 15 years.
The disability process has multiple stages, and most applicants go through at least two before a decision:
Most approved applicants are approved at the hearing stage. Don't give up after an initial denial — it's extremely common and often does not reflect the final outcome.
Research consistently shows that applicants with legal representation are significantly more likely to be approved — especially at the hearing stage. Disability attorneys typically work on contingency: they only get paid if you win, and their fee is capped by law at 25% of back pay, up to $7,200 (2025 limit).
You can get free help from:
If hiring a private attorney, look for one who specializes in Social Security disability and works on contingency. Many offer free consultations.
An initial denial is not the end. About two-thirds of initial applications are denied — often for reasons that can be addressed on appeal.
Immediately after denial:
Common reasons for denial and how to address them:
Select a topic and describe your situation to get plain-language guidance. This tool doesn't store your information and can't give legal advice, but it can help you understand your options.