It's a very long and arduous process. You may need a lot of help from knowledgeable people - social workers, counselors, and the like. They have walked through the paperwork and application process with other people in the past, and they know all the tricks. They know how to get the process underway. Make sure that you end up being your own payee (there usually shouldn't be a problem with this), then you're free to go anywhere and you can live your life creatively in a way that maximizes your quality of life.