Social Security Disability Insurance Posted at 10/13/2010 04:17:00 PM 0 comments (+) Social Security Disability Insurance (ssdi) is a payroll tax-funded, federal insurance program of the United States government. It is managed by the Social Security Administration and is designed to provide income to people who are unable to work because of a disability. My friend, Doug, applied for this when he got seriously ill but was denied the first time. But he didn't give up that easily. He sought help from an agency and after almost a year of waiting, he was finally granted a SSDI. Now he doesn't need to worry about his finances because the monthly stipend he gets from SSA is enough to cover his expenses.