A neighbor and friend of mine who had a work related back injury was about to become an independent contractor-she asked me about SSDI after an ambulance chaser tried to talk her into going for it-he even promised to show her just how to fake it to get a high disability rating-I just told her exactly what would happen if/when she got caught lying-doing work she was not supposed to be able to do, not to mention making more than the allowable income-it was enough to dissuade her-she went to physical therapy and work hardening instead-she and I work for the same contractor now...
Having worked with comp clients for some 30 years, I can tell you it is not “if” you will be caught if you are getting benefits you are not entitled to but “when” it will happen-it always turns out better-and keeps you from being prosecuted for fraud-to return to work unless you really do have the kind of disability that SSDI was intended for.
I know someone who got caught and they had to pay Medicaid back. That wasn’t cheap at all. If a corporation comes after you, you can usually discharge in bankruptcy. The government knows to take that off the table.