totally with what's already been said, both the good bits and the bad.

It appears the concerns that have been raised are not unique to the USA. After the experiences my hubby and I both had when making our own applications, I now believe it depends on just who processes your application ..... no matter what country you live in. Which state you live in may also give rise to different outcomes... I know it did for hubby and I.

My husband did 'heavy' work all his life, and when his back deteriorated to such an extent that there were days that he couldn't even walk, let alone work... he applied for a disability pension. He had many doctor's letters and some of those came from doctors they had sent him to, but still they refused him.

I've not heard of lawyers standing in your stead here in Oz for disability claims, so I wrote his appeals for him and it wasn't until the third attempt that they approved his application. Grrrr!
So much paper work and so many plane trips, because we lived 4 hours drive away from the nearest major city.

Then there's me.

Two years ago I had a nasty exacerbation following major surgery for bowel cancer (hemicolectomy). I went into Social Security to ask about sickness benefits because I had used up all my paid leave where I worked, and we needed money to survive.

The lass I saw there was really nice, and it was actually on her recommendation that I applied for disability support. It was something that hadn't entered my head for myself. My doctor filled out the paperwork ..... I was interviewed the following week, and approved that very day.

For me it was less than 2 weeks from start to finish.

That part was certainly a relief, but I hadn't forgotten all the hassels we had to go through for my hubby. His refusals made me so cross at the time because I could see how bad he was, how much pain he was in... and we knew others who were "ripping the system off ...
people who were only approved because they were very good actors. Any person who falsely claims benefits makes me very angry, no matter what benefit they're claiming.