Yes, it is a comedy of errors that people who frequently have cognitive dysfunction have to negotiate these complex rapids thought. When I applied for SSDI I was more cognitively impaired than I am now, simply from a long period of exhaustion, having tried to work and function normally long past the date when I couldn't do that. It saved me that my husband was working and still had an insurance plan that covered me, even after my Cobra expired. And it did take 3 years to get SSDI, so by then I was eligible for Medicare. Medicare plus my husband's Secondary was excellent coverage, I cannot complain in that respect. If only it had covered dental, which now absorbs about 20% of my gross income. But in general I did OK. I cannot imagine how people can maneuver who have no other income or insurance in the family.
And my application for SSDI was lost twice, then found by my congressman's office in Washington DC.
As I said, all this happening to a person with cognitive impairment makes one realize how hard it is for people who were disabled all their lives, how hard to learn and cope.