Social Security disability (SSD) insurance benefits. These benefits are available to Americans who have worked and, by doing so, paid in to the national disability insurance system. Those eligible for these benefits include individuals who are not of retirement age, and who are disabled to the point that they cannot work. Social Security disability benefits cover a broad range of physical and psychological medical issues.

SSD benefits are benefits paid by Social Security based on the amount of Social Security taxes you paid while you were working. Every person knows, for example, that he or she will receive a certain amount of Social Security benefits when becoming old enough to retire; SSD benefits are essentially "early retirement" benefits. SSD benefits are the same amount of benefits a person would receive when becoming old enough to retire. For example, if you would be entitled to $800 a month when you retire, but become disabled at age 52, you will begin receiving $800 a month immediately. SSD benefits are generally higher than SSI benefits and, more importantly, are not subject to reduction if you have other sources of income, unless you are receiving workers' compensation, some types of veterans' benefits, or are already old enough to be receiving Social Security retirement.

In addition to benefits paid to the disabled worker under SSD, there are two other types of benefits in this program. The first is "Disabled Widows Benefits" a benefit paid to a widow or widower more than 50 years old who has not remarried and who meets the definition of disability. The second is "Child's Disability Benefits" a benefit paid to the child of a wage earner who becomes totally disabled prior to his or her 22nd birthday.