Oakland (Alameda County) Social Security Disability attorneys and advocates are available to assist Oakland residents with their Social Security Disability claims. If you cannot work due to a disability or debilitating illness, a disability attorney may be able to help you receive the disability benefits you need to support yourself financially.
Currently the Oakland Hearing Office has 3,224 pending cases and a 320 day wait time. Although waiting months for a decision on your disability application is not ideal, Alameda County residents prove that disability payments are often worth the wait. As of December 2011, Alameda County was home to 27,895 SSDI recipients and 53,658 SSI recipients.
To learn about the different benefit programs that the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers click here.
If you wish to apply for disability benefits, you can do so online or in person. To apply in person, you will have to schedule an appointment with your local SSA office. The Oakland area office can be reached at the following address:
238 11th St
Oakland, CA 94607
Telephone: 1-800-772-1213
Consulting with an Oakland Social Security Disability Attorney
If you are unfamiliar with the Social Security Disability Application process, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the various forms and regulations. To relieve some of the stress you may be feeling, you may want to consider reaching out to an Oakland disability attorney or advocate to help you navigate the application process.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of consulting with an Oakland attorney or advocate click here.
An Oakland Social Security Disability lawyer will also handle disability claims in the following cities located in Alameda County, San Francisco County, Santa Clara County, San Joaquin County, Contra Costa County, Stanislaus County, and San Mateo County. Newark, Union City, Hayward, Pleasanton, San Leandro, San Ramon, Stockton, Manteca, Modesto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Alameda, San Mateo, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and Concord.
Contact your local Bar Association at the following address to learn more about the legal professionals in your area:
Alameda County Bar Association
70 Washington Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Oakland Disability Hearings
Once an applicant’s initial application has been denied, he or she must request a hearing to be held at the Oakland Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR).
Following is a list of the Oakland administrative law judges and their approval rates:
| ALJ | Approval Rate |
| Alis, E. | 45.20% |
| Blume, Michael | 59.46% |
| Flanagan, John J. | 59.49% |
| Gill, Kevin | 43.45% |
| Hernandez, Evangelina P. | 44.22% |
| LaBarre, David | 43.33% |
| Laverdure, Richard P. | 38.24% |
| Mazzi, David R. | 64.46% |
| Tompkin, Cheryl | 47.16% |
| Underwood, Debra M. | 54.78% |
| Williams, Jr., Major | 65.13% |
| Zeidman, Arthur | 32.72% |
*Data from http://www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/03_ALJ_Disposition_Data.html
Oakland Social Security Disability advocates and attorneys are often familiar with the administrative law judges who hear cases in the Oakland office. They may be able to use this information to an applicant’s advantage when presenting his or her case.
As you may have experienced with your initial application, scheduling a disability hearing can be a long and difficult process. If medical or financial hardship is making it difficult for you to wait for your hearing to be scheduled, you can contact your congresswoman to ask that she intervene with the ODAR to expedite your case. Contact your congressperson here:
1301 Clay Street
Suite 1000-N
Oakland, CA 94612
For more on disability benefits in California, see How To Qualify For Disability In California.
Fill out the form below to for a free legal consultation with an Oakland attorney or advocate:
