In order to collect from your husbands SS is if he died I believe. Even then it would be a percentage and it would be Social Security not SSDI. As far as you receiving SSDI you must work a certain amount of quarters (5 years or so continuous, I think) in order to qualify. If you didn't you don't qualify. Even those who have worked for decades and then stopped working for x amount of years will lose the ability to collect SSDI if they become ill but not SS when its due. I also think that when you apply for SSI or SSDI the process checks your eligibility for both programs. So it you think you slipped, perhaps not. I'm no expert, others will chime in.