Each year the Social Security Administration (SSA) receives millions of applications for Social Security Disability benefits. In California, the number of applications received has increased nearly three-hundred percent over the past three years. This has resulted in significant delays for many of the California Social Security Disability applicants who are in desperate need of disability benefits. While the initial application process for a California Social Security Disability claim only takes about three to four months to complete, the majority of applicants are denied at the initial stage of the application process. These applicants must then file for an appeal if they hope to receive the disability benefits they may be entitled to.
The hearing stage of the disability appeal process is the reason why it takes some California Social Security Disability applicants so long to receive disability benefits from the SSA. Depending on where in California you live, it can take anywhere from 327 days to 602 days to obtain your California Social Security Disability hearing. Then it takes another 45 to 90 days before you receive the decision from the administrative law judge who heard your disability case. This means that most California Social Security Disability applicants wait more than one to two years before they ever receive a single benefit payment from the SSA.
The SSA's Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) is responsible for holding Social Security Disability Hearings. The area in which you live will determine which California ODAR office handles your California Social Security Disability case. The cities and towns in which these offices are located and the areas that they serve are as follows:
- Downey, California
- Fresno, California
- Long Beach, California
- Los Angeles, California
- Oakland, California
- Orange, California
- Pasadena, California
- Sacramento, California
- San Bernardino, California
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- San Jose, California
- San Rafael, California
- Santa Barbara, California
- Stockton, California
The Downey ODAR office serves the Compton, Downey, Huntington Park, Watts, Whittier and Norwalk Social Security field offices in California. The average processing time for this office is 426 days.
The Fresno ODAR office serves the Bakersfield-East Hills, Bakersfield, Delano, Fresno, Hanford, Madera, Merced, Porterville, Southeast Fresno, Visalia and West Fresno Social Security field offices in California and the Grand Island and North Platte Social Security field offices in Nebraska. The average processing time for this office is 440 days.
The Long Beach ODAR office serves the Lakewood, Long Beach and Torrance Social Security field offices in California and the West Plains field office in Missouri. The average processing time for this office is 346 days.
There are two ODAR offices located in Los Angeles, California. One is located in downtown Los Angeles on South Olive Street and the other office is located in West Los Angeles on Wilshire Boulevard. The downtown office services the Boyle Heights, Crenshaw, Inglewood, Los Angeles downtown, Montebello, University Village and Wilshire Center Social Security field offices. The West Los Angeles office services the Chatsworth, Los Angeles Westwood, Media Cities, Santa Clarita and Van Nuys Social Security field offices in California and the Eau Claire and Rice Lake field offices in Wisconsin. The average processing time for the downtown Los Angeles ODAR office is 351 days. The average processing time for the West Los Angeles ODAR office is 362 days.
The Oakland ODAR office services the Antioch, Berkeley, East Oakland, Fremont, Hayward/Livermore, Oakland, Richmond, San Leandro and Walnut Creek Social Security field offices. The average processing time for this office is 504 days.
The Orange ODAR office services the Anaheim, Brea, Corona, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Missions Viejo, Ontario, Pomona Valley and San Ana field offices in California and the Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids and Rhinelander field offices in Wisconsin. The average processing time for this office is 358 days.
The Pasadena ODAR office services the Alhambra, El Monte, Glendale, Glendora, Pasadena and West Covina Social Security field offices. The average processing time for this office is 449 days.
The Sacramento ODAR office serves the Auburn, Chico, Feather River, Oroville, Placerville, Redding, Roseville, Sacramento and Susanville Social Security field offices in California and the Elko and Reno field offices in Nevada. The average processing time for this office is 337 days.
The San Bernardino ODAR office services the Barstow, Blythe, Fontana, Hemet, Indio, Moreno Valley, Morongo Basin, Redlands and Victorville Social Security field offices. The average processing time for this office is 393 days.
The San Diego ODAR office services the Chula Vista, El Cajon, Kearny Mesa, La Mesa, National City, San Diego and San Marcos Social Security field offices. The average processing time for this office is 602 days.
The San Francisco ODAR office serves the Chinatown, Crescent City, Daly City, Eureka, Mission, San Francisco downtown and San Mateo Social Security field offices in California and the Farmington and Livonia field offices in Michigan. The average processing time for this office is 411 days.
The San Jose ODAR office services the Campbell, Gilroy, Mountain View, Redwood City, Salinas, San Jose, San Jose East, San Jose South, Santa Cruz and Watsonville Social Security field offices. The average processing time for this office is 419 days.
The San Rafael ODAR office serves the Fairfield, Lakeport, Napa, Ukiah and Vallejo Social Security field offices. The average processing time for this office is 426 days.
The Santa Barbara ODAR office services the Chatsworth, Oxnard, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Thousand Oaks and Ventura Social Security field offices in California and the Appleton, Fond Du Lac and Oshkosh field offices in Wisconsin. The average processing time for this office is 408 days.
The Stockton ODAR office serves the Lodi, Manteca, Modesto, Sonora and Stockton Social Security field offices in California and the Inkster field office in Michigan. The average processing time for this office is 327 days.
What Is The Most A SSDI Lawyer Can Charge In California?
Working with an SSDI lawyer in California is a good idea if you’re applying for Social Security disability benefits. There are a lot of advantages to working with a California Social Security disability attorney like getting answers to your questions about applying and getting help with your application. And there’s no upfront cost to work with an SSDI attorney.
California Social Security disability attorneys work on a contingency basis. That means that you don’t have to pay upfront for their help. Your attorney won’t get paid until your application is approved and you start receiving your Social Security disability benefits.
Social Security disability attorneys get paid when you receive back pay. Back pay is a lump sum of money paid by the SSA when you start receiving benefits. The lump sum is paid for the months between when you applied for disability benefits and when the application was approved.
For example, if you apply for benefits in January but your application isn’t approved until September you will receive back pay for the months between January and September. Your California Social Security disability attorney will receive either $7,000 or 25% of that back pay, whichever amount is less. You don’t have to pay anything until you receive that back pay.
If your application for benefits is denied your attorney won’t get anything until the application has been approved. You will never have to pay an SSDI lawyer out of pocket.
Hiring a California Social Security Disability Attorney
California Social Security Disability applicants are much more likely to avoid the lengthy and complicated disability appeal process if they obtain a qualified California Social Security Disability attorney to represent them in their disability claim. When you hire a California Social Security Disability lawyer, your lawyer will help you gather the medical evidence needed to support your claim for disability benefits and will ensure that your claim is submitted in the best light possible to the SSA. This will improve your chances of receiving an approval at the initial stage of the application process. If, for some reason, your initial claim for disability benefits is denied, a California disability attorney can help you file a successful disability appeal.
If your initial claim for disability benefits is denied, chances are that you will have to have your case heard before an administrative law judge if you ever hope to receive Social Security Disability benefits. While the wait times are extensive, the good news is that nearly two-thirds of California Social Security Disability applicants win their appeals at the hearing stage of the process. Statistics show that proper legal representation can significantly increase your chances of successfully appealing a denied disability claim.
Click here to learn more about hiring a California Social Security Disability lawyer and to receive a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case.
