It's definitely not easy. In some states, you're automatically eligible for Medicaid if you're on disability. In my state, I am eligible for SLMB (Service Limited Medicare Beneficiary) Medicaid. It covers my Medicare premiums and full Medicaid will kick in when about 1/2 of my annual SSDI money goes to medical bills. Near where I live, there's an apartment building for people who are disabled and/or senior citizens. Like Jo_thorne was talking about, it's a sliding scale fee.

I found it very disorienting at first, when I first went on SSDI. It's definitely good to have some kind of schedule. Also, like your T said, make sure that you don't over-identify with the disabled label. It can be tricky when you have to explain that you no longer work. Especially when it's yourself you're explaining that to.

I'm not sure about yearly reevaluations. I've always been told that it's every 5 years. It may be different in the beginning.

There is a lot of good info that others have posted. I've been on disability for a long time and there was stuff I didn't know about.

Hope you get what you need.