Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. I got on a million years ago, but paperwork never changes. Call your local social security officeand ask them to send you application paperwork. Talk to your doctors. They will get paperwork too. Talk to a friend, they will get paperwork too. Paperwork is your friend. Find a friend who has filled these forms out successfully to help you wade through them. Good Luck. It is very hard to succeed on your first effort these days. Be prepared for a rejection slip. There are lawyers who make their living challenging these rejections. They take a % of your first check which includes accumulated monies from the time you applied. So, you don't need cash up front. It takes about 6 months to get processed to your first response: yer on or yer rejected. I don't know how long challenges take. The system gets uglier and uglier every year. War is more important, ya know? See yourself succeeding, and don't give up.