The term SSDI is short for Social Security Disability Insurance. SSDI is a federally funded and run program founded in 1954 in the United States. There are similar programs operating in the civilized countries of the world. The American SSDI program is based on the Social Security Act of 1937. While any person may apply, there are certain criteria required before the claim is accepted. The applicant must have a disability defined in accordance with the SSDI criteria. The disability must be severe, affecting the work and any transferrable skills. There must be sufficient and acceptable medical documentation to support the claim of disability. Furthermore, it must be a long-term disability. SSDI does not supply benefits for a short-term disability. The applicant must also be an American citizen, have contributed financially to the program and have worked for a minimum of a year prior to the disability. The work period qualifications are exact. The applicant will need to look them up to see if he or she has sufficient "duration of work." The initial claim will be reviewed over a period of a minimum of 3 months. The claim will into come into effective until after 5 months following the occurrence of the disability. Benefits are paid monthly and will continue as long as the client remains unable to work.