Guide is an independent educational website about how disability income benefits work in the United States — private and employer-provided long-term and short-term disability insurance, ERISA claims and appeals, and Social Security disability (SSDI and SSI).
Why this site exists
The rules that decide whether a benefit gets paid are public, but they are written for administrators rather than for the people affected by them. Statutes, regulations, and plan documents are freely available and largely unreadable. Meanwhile most of what ranks in a search for these topics is marketing: content produced to capture a lead, sell a service, or place an advertisement dressed as advice.
This site takes a narrower job. We explain how the system actually works, in plain English, and then point readers to the official source so they can verify it themselves and act on their own behalf. We are not trying to become part of anyone’s claim.
What we publish
- Process explainers. What a rule requires, which deadlines apply, what a form is for, and what happens after it is filed.
- Plain-language translations of the terms that decide outcomes, with the official regulation or agency page cited alongside.
- Illustrative worked examples. Composite scenarios, always labeled as illustrations rather than real people, walked through end to end.
- Practical checklists of documents to gather and questions to ask.
- Pointers to free, unbiased help from government agencies and established nonprofit programs.
What we deliberately do not do
- We do not give legal, financial, insurance, or medical advice, and we do not evaluate, review, or comment on any individual claim, bill, policy, or benefit decision.
- We do not name, rank, rate, or recommend any specific company, provider, or professional — not even as an example.
- We do not generate or sell leads. There are no quote forms, no “see if you qualify” quizzes, no case evaluations, no phone capture, and no referral arrangements of any kind.
- We do not publish sponsored posts, paid placements, affiliate links, or advertorial content.
- We do not promise outcomes. Where results depend on facts we cannot see, we say so plainly.
Who we are
Articles are researched and written by our editorial team from primary sources: statutes, regulations, agency guidance, and official program documentation. Every article carries a byline and a “reviewed and updated” date so you can see how current it is.
We publish under a team byline rather than inventing individual personas with fabricated credentials. We think a claimed credential you cannot verify is worth less than a citation you can check yourself, so every substantive claim links to the official source it came from.
How this site is funded
Guide is supported entirely by display advertising, currently served through Google AdSense. Advertising pays for the research and hosting so the content can stay free and stay free of a sales motive.
Advertisers have no involvement in what we publish. They do not review, approve, suggest, or influence any article, and we do not know which specific advertisers will appear on a given page. Ads are automatically placed and are visually distinguishable from editorial content. See our Advertising Disclosure for the full explanation, and our Editorial Policy for how we keep the two separate.
An advertisement on this site is not an endorsement. We do not vet advertisers, and appearing here says nothing about a company’s quality or suitability.
Our sourcing standard
We cite the U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov) and its Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Social Security Administration (ssa.gov), the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (ecfr.gov), the Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov), and state insurance departments, along with established nonprofit and academic sources. We do not cite marketing content, “best of” listicles, law-firm or insurer blogs, or lead-generation sites, and we do not link to them.
Related site
We also publish health.upcomingscreen.com, which covers health insurance coverage, claim denials, and medical bills. The two sites are operated by the same publisher and keep to separate subjects.
Corrections and contact
Rules change and mistakes happen. If you find something inaccurate or out of date, we want to know: email support@guide.upcomingscreen.com and we will review it promptly. See Contact Us for what we can and cannot help with, and Editorial Policy for how corrections are handled.