Will Social Security Cover You if You Become Disabled?
Typical American workers face around a 20% chance of becoming disabled for at least a three month period during their working life. Far too few workers have disability insurance policies, and a worker who becomes disabled without insurance to replace his income could experience substantial financial hardship.
The good news is, Social Security does operate a disability benefits program to provide income to disabled workers. In fact, there are two separate programs you could potentially receive income from if you're too disabled to work: Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance.
The problem is, both have strict qualification requirements and high denial rates. The difficulty in becoming eligible for benefits means Social Security Disability may not cover you if something goes wrong.
Source: Fool.com