Be prepared. Hire a disability lawyer. Still 66% of first time filers get denied. Appeals can take a while. If approved on the first try you cannot get a check for the first 6 months. If you earn over 850.00 a month that counts as one of nine work trials. You get only nine pretty much ever for all the time you are on SSDI If you earn over 1180.00 a month that counts as substantial gainful employment and you are not entitled to your disability check. Keep in mind it could be months until you hear from SS that you now owe them money and that is retro. So weigh your options carefully. Your significant others could very well be right.