San Leandro, California, sits in Alameda County outside of San Francisco, and benefits from a diverse economy centered around the healthcare, manufacturing, education, and finance sectors. Although a number of San Leandro residents commute to nearby Oakland for work, San Leandro’s top employers include the City of San Leandro, the San Leandro Unified School District, American Medical Response, Kindred Hospital, and Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The median household income in the city is $51,081, and the cost-of-living is significantly higher than the national average, at 44%.
About San Leandro, California
Over 84,000 California residents live in San Leandro. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA,) approximately 3 percent of the California population receives Social Security disability benefits. The average monthly payment received by these disabled workers is $1,098.
While these numbers may seem encouraging if you’re applying for Social Security in the San Leandro, California area, you may not realize that the majority of these California disability recipients likely waited more than a year to receive their first payment. Additionally, there are many more disabled San Leandro workers who are currently navigating the SSA’s stressful appeals process.
Applying for San Leandro Social Security Disability Benefits
Part of the reason there is such a long wait is because the SSA denies approximately 70 percent of the disability applications they receive each year. These applicants who are denied disability benefits must then pursue a Social Security disability appeal, which includes requesting a reconsideration of your denial, and then, if a second denial is received, testifying at a disability hearing before an administrative law judge.
The office that schedules disability hearings for San Leandro, California Social Security disability applicants is located in San Francisco, California. On average, it takes this office more than a year, at 395 days, to schedule a disability hearing. This time frame does not include the several months that the applicant waited for their first two decisions.
Additionally, even after your disability hearing, it will likely take another month or two for the judge to issue a decision, and if your benefits are granted, an additional month for you to receive a payment. If your application isn’t approved at this level, it’s absolutely crucial to retain a skilled San Leandro disability attorney – as very few claims are successful in the last two appeals levels (Appeals Council and a Federal Court.)
Hiring a San Leandro Disability Attorney
San Leandro disability applicants would surely prefer to avoid the frustration of pursing a disability appeal. One way to increase the chances of this happening is to hire a qualified San Leandro Social Security disability lawyer as early in the application process as possible.
These helpful professionals can assist you in preparing your disability claim properly. They will make sure that the SSA has all of your relevant medical records, and can communicate with the SSA to ensure that everything is being properly evaluated. This will increase your chances of receiving an approval at the initial stage of the application process.
However, if you’re already pursuing a Social Security appeal, there’s still good reasons to hire a San Leandro disability attorney. Nearly two-thirds of disability hearings are decided in the favor of the disability applicant, but there are no guarantees. Some judges are quicker to approve claims than others, and proving your disability is best accomplished by showing exactly how you meet the SSA’s specific definition of disabled. An experienced San Leandro Social Security attorney is familiar with the process and knows how to do this.
Fortunately, it costs nothing up front to hire a top San Leandro Social Security lawyer. These professionals work on a contingent fee basis, and will collect 25 percent of the back pay that the SSA awards you (up to $6,000,) if your claim is approved. If your application isn’t granted, your lawyer does not get paid. In the event that the person receiving disability benefits is too young or is unable to handle their finances, you may choose a representative payee to take care of your benefits for you.
A San Leandro Social Security lawyer will also handle disability claims in cities located in Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, and Alameda counties including Mulford, Brookfield Village, Lorenzo Station, Ashland, Eastmart, Robert, Melrose, and Cherry Land.
For more on disability benefits in California, see How To Qualify For Disability In California.
