Our safety net system is so fucked up

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. If you don't have an attorney already, I recomend you get one

They don't charge you up front and they only get paid a percentage of your back pay. If you don't get any back pay, they don't get anything. It can make all the difference. I got approved on my first try because of my attorney's guidance.

You said you can't do what you were doing before. Is there any kind of work you can do, even if it required some training? I only ask because SSDI is really low. I had been making around $38K before I became disabled and I only got $1288 per month. At least in Texas, that's too much to qualify for food stamps for a single person. If your state has a disability office, they may provide training for a new career at no cost. You generally don't have to be already getting SSDI to qualify.