Social Security disability benefits, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), are federal programs. While these disability programs are run by the Social Security Administration, there are some differences in how the programs are operated in California.
After you file an initial disability application with the Social Security Administration (SSA), either at the field office, by telephone, or online, the SSA will forward the application to the Disability Determination Service Division (DDSD), a state agency under the California Department of Social Services. A disability claims examiner at DDSD will gather evidence from your doctors and, with the help of a doctor who works for DDSD, will make the medical determination as to whether you qualify for disability benefits. (You can find contact information for the DDSD offices below.)
If you are denied benefits, you can appeal by requesting that DDSD reconsider your claim. If DDSD denies you again, you can request an appeal hearing in front of an administrative law judge.
California's approval rate for disability benefits is about the same as the national average for awarding benefits. After filing the initial application, 37% of disability applicants are approved to receive benefits. At the reconsideration level (the first level of appeal), about 14% of the previously denied cases are approved. And at the disability hearing level (the second level of appeal), in 2022, 62% of the previously denied cases were approved for benefits (with a higher percentage of disability claimants who have a disability lawyer or representative winning benefits).
| Stage of Application | California | Nationally |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Application | 37.2% | 38.5% |
| Reconsideration Review | 14.1% | 14.7% |
| Appeal Hearing | 62% | 57% |
The average wait time in California for an ALJ hearing in late 2022 is about 17 months, up from 12 months in 2021.
As SSI is a federal program, the federal government provides a monthly benefit to all who qualify. But the State of California adds a supplementary payment onto the monthly federal benefits. This extra payment affects not only the amount of SSI you'll get but also your eligibility for SSI (because it raises the income limit for SSI).
In 2022, the federal government provided the following monthly benefits to SSI disability recipients with no other income:
| Federal Monthly SSI Benefit | |
|---|---|
| Individual | $914 |
| Couple | $1,371 |
And California provides the following additional benefits depending on your living situation:
|
CA Monthly Benefit |
Total Monthly Benefit (CA and Federal) |
|
|
Living independently with cooking facilities |
Individual: $199 Couple: $505 |
Individual: $1,113 Couple: $1,876 |
|
Living independently without cooking facilities |
Individual: $306 Couple: $719 |
Individual: $1,220 Couple: $2,090 |
|
Living in nonmedical out-of-home care situation |
Individual: $559 Couple: $1,158 |
Individual: $1,493 Couple: $2,529 |
|
Living in the household of another |
Individual: $204 Couple: $511 |
Individual: $1,118 Couple: $1,882 |
For those who are newly unable to work, California has a short-term disability insurance (SDI) program that provides eight to ten weeks of benefits for those who are ill or injured and unable to work. The SDI benefit is 60-70% of your normal wages. California's paid family leave program also provides up to six weeks of paid leave. For more information, see our article on California short-term disability.
California residents who are approved for SSI are automatically approved for Medicaid benefits as well. Social Security will enroll you in Medicaid automatically when it approves your SSI benefits.
California residents who receive SSI are also eligible for CalFresh benefits (federally known as SNAP, or food stamps). Previously, California SSI recipients were paid a higher state supplementary payment instead of food stamps.
California's DDSD makes the initial decision regarding whether or not you will receive disability benefits. They have 11 branches throughout California.
Central Valley Branch
P.O. Box 28931
Fresno, CA 93729-9835
Phone: (559) 440-5000
Covina Branch
P.O. Box 6118
Covina, CA 91722-6118
Phone: (213) 736-7900
La Jolla Branch
P.O. Box 85501
San Diego, CA 92186-5501
Phone: (619) 278-4550
Los Angeles West Branch
P.O. Box 60999
Los Angeles, CA 90060-0999
Phone: (213) 736-7500
Los Angeles North Branch
P.O. Box 54800
Los Angeles, CA 90054-0800
Phone: (213) 736-7000
Oakland Branch
P.O. Box 24225
Oakland, CA 94623-1225
Phone: (510) 622-3506
Rancho Bernardo Branch
P.O. Box 509135
San Diego, CA 92150
Roseville Branch
P.O. Box 619020
Roseville, CA 95678-9861
Phone: (916) 774-4100
Sacramento Branch
P.O. Box 997120
Sacramento, CA 95899-7120
Phone: (916) 263-5000
San Diego Branch
P.O. Box 85326
San Diego, CA 92186-5326
Phone: (619) 278-4300
Sierra Branch
P.O. Box 28937
Fresno, CA 93720-8937
Phone: (559) 440-5200
Stockton Branch
P.O. Box 207015
Stockton, CA 95267
The Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) handles all hearings. Its regional headquarters are located in San Francisco. There are also hearing offices in many other cities.
Fresno Hearing Office
2440 Tulare Street, Suite 300
Fresno, California 93721
Phone: (866) 596-7568
Fax: (833)-586-0162
Services the following field offices: Fresno, Hanford, Madera, Merced, Porterville, Southeast Fresno, Visalia, and West Fresno
Long Beach Hearing Office
Federal Building, Suite 5300
501 West Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, California 90802
Phone: (855) 532-0889
Fax: (833) 365-0277
Services the following field offices: Lakewood, Long Beach, San Pedro, and Torrance
Downtown Los Angeles Hearing Office
888 S. Figeroa St., Suite 800
Los Angeles, California 90017
Phone: (888) 488-0517
Fax: (833) 719-0416
Services the following field offices: Crenshaw, Los Angeles Downtown, University Village, Watts, and Wilshire Center
Los Angeles (West) Hearing Office
12121 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 400
Los Angeles, California 90025
Phone: (866) 748-2089
Fax: (833) 414-0623
Services the following field offices: Chatsworth, Culver City, Hollywood, Inglewood, Lancaster, Westwood, Panorama City, and Santa Clarita
Moreno Valley Hearing Office
22690 Cactus Avenue
3rd Floor
Moreno Valley, California 92553
Phone: (866) 737-4503
Fax: (833) 559-0770
Services the following field offices: Blythe, Corona, Hemet, Indio, Moreno Valley, Morongo Basin, Palm Springs, Riverside
Norwalk Hearing Office
12440 E. Imperial Highway
Suite 250
Norwalk, CA 90650
Phone: (877) 870-6385
Fax: (833) 648-0169
Services the following Social Security field offices: Boyle Heights, Compton, Downey, Huntington Park, Montebello, Norwalk, Whittier
Oakland Hearing Office
Oakland Federal Building, Suite 200N
1301 Clay Street
Oakland, California 94612
Phone: (866) 366-4916
Fax: (833) 769-0239
Services the following field offices: Antioch, Berkeley, East Oakland, Fremont, Hayward/Livermore, Oakland, Richmond, San Leandro, and Walnut Creek
Orange Hearing Office
Centrum North, Suite 600
1120 West La Veta Avenue
Orange, California 92868
Phone: (866) 593-1447
Fax: (833) 769-0241
Services the following field offices: Anaheim, Brea, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Missions Viejo, Newport Beach, Ontario, Pomona Valley, and San Ana
Pasadena Hearing Office
Pasadena Towers 1
800 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 500
Pasadena, California 91101
Phone: (866) 354-0220
Fax: (833) 311-0104
Services the following field offices: Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Glendale, Glendora, Industry Hills, Old Burbank, Pasadena, San Fernando, and West Covina
Sacramento Hearing Office
Suite 250
1610 Arden Way
Sacramento, California 95815
Phone: (866) 931-2544
Fax: (833) 365-0279
Services the following field offices: Auburn, Chico, Oroville, Placerville, Redding, Roseville, Sacramento (North, South, and West), Susanville, and Yuba City
San Bernardino Hearing Office
Suite 200
605 North Arrowhead Avenue
San Bernardino, California 92401
Phone: (866) 331-7127
Fax: (833) 719-0408
Services the following field offices: Barstow, Fontana, Redlands, San Bernardino, and Victorville
San Diego Hearing Office
525 B Street, Suite 900
San Diego, California 92101
Phone: (866) 331-2294
Fax: (833) 586-0164
Services the following field offices: Chula Vista, El Cajon, El Centro, Kearny Mesa, La Mesa, National City, Pacific Beach, Oceanside, San Diego, San Marcos, and Yuma
San Francisco Hearing Office
Equity Building, 16th Floor
San Francisco, California 94105
Phone: (866) 770-1221
Fax: (833) 365-0281
Services the following field offices: Bakersfield, Chinatown, Daly City, Delano, Mission, Parkside, Downtown San Francisco, San Mateo, and Western Addition
San Jose Hearing Office
RFP Federal Building, Suite 330
280 South First Street
San Jose, California 95113-3086
Phone: (866) 331-2219
Fax: (408) 535-5286
Services the following field offices: Campbell, Gilroy, Mountain View, Redwood City, Salinas, San Jose, San Jose East, San Jose South, Santa Cruz, and Watsonville
San Rafael Hearing Office
Suite 230
4040 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael, California 94903
Phone: (866) 814-3559
Fax: (415) 472-5824
Services the following field offices: Crescent City, Eureka, Lakeport, Napa, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Suisun City, Ukiah, Vallejo
Santa Barbara Hearing Office
Suite 206
222 East Carrillo Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
Phone: (866) 273-4953
Fax: (805) 564-3404
Services the following field offices: Oxnard, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura
Stockton Hearing Office
3116 W. March Lane, Suite 100
Stockton, California 95219
Phone: (866) 494-3136
Fax: (209) 477-3394
Services the following field offices: Lodi, Manteca, Modesto, Sonora, and Stockton
Updated December 7, 2022
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