Disability is unpredictable and can happen to anyone at any age.
Fifty-six million Americans, or one in five, live with disabilities. Thirty-eight million disabled Americans, or one in ten, live with severe disabilities.
Disability is something many Americans, especially younger people, think can only affect the lives of other people. Tragically, thousands of young people are seriously injured or killed, often as the result of traumatic events. Many serious medical conditions, such as cancer or mental illness, can affect the young as well as the elderly.
The sobering fact for 20-year-olds, insured for disability benefits, is that more than 1-in-4 of them becomes disabled before reaching retirement age.As a result, they may need to rely on the Social Security disability benefits for income support. Social Security disability benefits provide a critical source of financial support to people when they need it most.