Almost. Hopefully you could elect short and long term disability from a private insurance carrier when you hired onto your job. In the mean time a payroll deduction is taken (mandatory) for SSI. If all goes well you never use it, good for you, very good for them.This is reassuring until you need it. You file on the private carrier and hopefully they pay. Then you usually spend a couple of years (usually 2) trying to get Federal SSI (disability) while the private insurance pays you (all provided your doctor will agree to your incapacity), SSI/SSD will usually deny benefits which involves turn downs, appeals, etc. In the mean time the insurance company you paid all those years harrasses you, denies getting information, wants more information, calls and tries to get you to say something they can use to deny benefits, etc. If that isn't good enough they send someone to "tail" you and take photos of you going to the grocery, walking, spending time with family, etc and claim you aren't disabled and cut you off. (I have to say this doesn't happen to everyone, but what if you are the one.) If denied due to this the insurance company is the one you have to appeal to and they make the decision (sounds fair to them, can probably thank our politicians and contributions). I'm terrified all the time, afraid to even take out trash.....google this subject, its amazing.
Mike