VA Disability Pension

• For people who have served their country in the military and have become disabled as a consequence of this service, the government offers disability benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA Disability Compensation program pays benefits if you have a disability that was either caused or exacerbated by military service. Eligible recipients are required to have served at least for one day during wartime and at least 90 days in total, having received an honorable discharge upon returning home. The amount of monthly benefits is not fixed for every recipient, since it varies according to the severity of the disability. If you're eligible, apply by mail or online at the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
  
  

Supplemental Security Income

• If you are partially or totally disabled and have low income, you might be able to qualify for disability benefits through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This program pays benefits not only to disabled people, but to those who are 65 years of age and over. The Social Security Administration is the federal entity in charge of providing SSI benefits and determining an individual's eligibility by analyzing medical conditions and level of income. Benefits are paid monthly as long as you continue to meet the requirements that make you an eligible individual, which includes being disabled, blind, older than age 65 and having low income. If you experience any changes in your situation, you must report them to the Social Security Administration.
  
  

Social Security Disability

• If you are totally disabled and have a long-term disability, such as a mental disorder, loss of speech, paralysis or Down syndrome, you might be eligible to receive Social Security Disability benefits. Unlike the SSI program, you are not required to have low income to qualify for these benefits. However, if you earn more than $1,000 per month, the Social Security office will not consider you to be disabled. To receive these benefits, you are required to have paid Social Security tax for as long as you were able to work and earn a substantial income. This measurement of time varies according to your age when your disability started. As with SSI benefits, you must report any changes in the conditions that qualify you to receive SSD benefits to the Social Security office.
  
  

Health Insurance

• The federal government also has other programs through which it provides health insurance benefits to people who are disabled. You may be eligible to receive Medicare benefits if you enroll in the SSD program and receive benefits for two years. Depending on your level of income and your ability to receive SSI benefits, you may also be eligible to receive benefits from Medicaid, a program run jointly by the federal and state governments.