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How does Social Security Disability Insurance differ from workers' compensation, state DI, and private DI coverages? WORKERS' COMPENSATION: Workers' compensation statutes typically require that your illness or injury is work-related before you can receive workers' compensation benefits; but Social Security Disability Insurance does not require a causal connection between your medical condition and your work. You may receive workers' compensation benefits for partial incapacity; but Social Security Disability Insurance requires that you be totally incapacitated from substantial gainful work. Workers' compensation may pay benefits for periods of disability shorter than a year; but Social Security Disability Insurance requires that your disability persist at least a year.

STATE DISABILITY INSURANCE: Five states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico reportedly have disability benefit programs for illnesses and injuries not caused by work. The states are California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. These state benefits help many people meet expenses until Social Security Disability Insurance benefits become payable.

PRIVATE DISABILITY INSURANCE: Many people purchase private disability insurance policies to assure that they continue to have income in the event of disability. Employers sometimes purchase the policies for their employees. Private policies often start paying more quickly than Social Security Disability Insurance. Some private policies do not reduce their monthly checks if a person receives disability benefits from SSA. Other private policies do reduce their monthly checks in an amount equal to any benefit that SSA pays; they also require their insured to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance and to make a reasonable effort to win Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Some private policies may have definitions of "disability" more lenient than the SSA definition.