Let's see.....first, you can't really get partial disability. However you can work up to a certain amount (I think a percentage of your income) through programs that social security has in place. Going in to an application though you need to not be able to work at all.

You apply through social security, online or at the social security office. You get SSDI or SSI depending on how many quarters you've worked. THey'll help with that.

Many people use an attorney (who speciailizes in disability) to help get through the application process. The attorney isn't paid until you are approved and get some percentage of your back-pay. Personally I chose to initially myself and use an attorney if I needed to appeal and I never needed the attorney. However my career was spent doing evaluations of what people could and couldn't do for Medicare so I was used to doing it and used to government forms for this topic. When you are applying you need to emphasize what you can't do or how you struggle to do what you can do (ie I can do things but only with great difficulty that I meet by doing ____).

You will fill out a form listing anyone who has treated you and giving SS permission to request their records. List everyone you can think of; nobody was ever hurt by too many records I think. They will also send at least some providers (my therapist) a form to fill out very similar to what you do about your abilities.

I was approved in 11 weeks which is about as fast as I've heard of. Sometimes it goes that easily. In most cases people are denied the first time around and have to appeal. I'll let someone else discuss that part. Different states take different amounts of times for approvals.

It can be a long process and quite frustrating but if you can't work anymore it helps so much to have it. Once you get approved you get a "date of disability" and 2 1/2 years from that date you'll get Medicare. In a lot of states there are Medicaid options while you are applying. The hard thing with applying is lack of income for a potentially long time.

Feel free to ask questions; I'm sure I've forgotten something or don't know something since mine went through so quickly.