My significant other went blind this week.

[Warpy]

2. I don't know what the disease process is

but many can be treated if you get treatment fast. If you haven't gone to the ER, go now.

If not, start the paperwork for SSD online on Monday morning. You'll need to get his/her doctor on board with that, get copies of the ER paperwork to copy and send, and generally get your ducks in a row. Blindness is one of those things they usually expedite, meaning you're not going to be waiting until after s/he qualifies for SS to get SSD.

The next thing you need to do is start checking out services for the blind. You'll be surprised how many there are. My parents lived in a hick town far from everything and my mother was set up with amazing services when it happened to her. I didn't bother because my own conditions were treatable with a corneal transplant, which I finally got. I live in a neighborhood where I can walk to everything if I have to.

The next thing is to apply for benefits you can get now that you're down to one income, like food stamps. You've paid into all this stuff all your life, it's time to get the benefits.

Income from SSD is usually higher than early SS. It won't be a princely sum but it will be the difference between being able to save and running through everything you have already saved.