Individuals living with severe disabilities may find that once their symptoms progress, they can no longer work enough to earn a living. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers two different benefit programs to assist individuals dealing with circumstances such as these. Although the application process for disability benefits is known as being rather complicated, disabled residents of Mountain View, California (Santa Clara County) have access to many attorneys who can guide them through the application from start to finish.
The two benefit programs offered by the SSA are Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Many applicants find it useful to research these programs prior to submitting their initial application. You can learn more about SSI and SSDI here.
Any other questions you may have regarding SSI and SSDI can be directed toward your local Social Security field office:
700 E. El Camino Real
Suite 350
Mountain View, CA 94040
Telephone: 650-961-5324
Hiring a Mountain View Disability Attorney
One of the biggest mistakes an applicant can make is to rush through the application forms in an attempt to be awarded benefits quicker. Unfortunately, it doesn’t often work out for applicants who do this. Hurrying through paperwork will result in seemingly small errors that can actually cause an applicant to be denied.
While it can seem time consuming to fill out the initial application forms, a Mountain View disability attorney can help. In fact, the legal professionals in Santa Clara County helped many out of the 48,367 SSI recipients as well as the 22,740 SSDI recipients to be awarded Social Security Disability. (Data from December 2011)
To learn more about the benefits of hiring an attorney, click here.
A Mountain View attorney will also handle disability claims in the following California cities: Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Stanford, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Campbell, Milpitas, Newark, Redwood City, and San Jose.
Further inquiries about the legal professionals in Mountain View can be addressed to the Palo Alto Area Bar Association:
Palo Alto Area Bar Association
405 Sherman Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Mountain View Disability Hearings
Many applications are denied during the initial application stage. If this happens to you, you will be required to schedule a disability appeal hearing. Mountain View hearings are typically held in the nearby San Jose Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR).
If your claim continues to an appeal hearing, the following facts and statistics may help you or and your lawyer prepare. (These statistics cover the hearings held in the San Jose Office of Disability Adjudication and Review in the months between October 2012 and January 2013):
- 1,411 hearings were scheduled in the San Jose ODAR during the specified time period.
- 80.01% of the 1,411 hearings were resolved (meaning they concluded in approval, partial approval, or denial).
- 9 judges handle appeal hearings in the San Jose hearing office.
- Each judge handled approximately 2.3 dispositions daily during the specified time period.
- The San Jose hearing office, as a whole, processed an average of 20.7 dispositions daily in the given period of time.
- 64.09% of disability hearings held in the San Jose Office were held in person. The rest were handled through video conferencing technology.
We recognize that you may not immediately understand these facts and figures. But, if your claim continues on to become an appeal hearing, your lawyer will be able to use this information to prepare for your hearing more effectively.
If you find that you need your hearing to be scheduled sooner—due to financial or medical instability—contact your local congressperson. He or she has the power to intervene with the San Jose hearing office on your behalf to push your hearing forward. Your local congressperson's office is found at:
2001 Gateway Place
Suite 670W
San Jose, CA 95110
Phone: (408) 436-2720
Fax: (408) 436-2721
For more on disability benefits in California, see How To Qualify For Disability In California.
Complete the following form to speak with an attorney or advocate for free:
