San Diego SSDI Lawyers

A serious medical condition can make it hard to work and pay your bills. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) may help by providing monthly benefits if your disability keeps you from working. To qualify, you must meet certain medical and work history rules.

Our San Diego SSDI lawyers help disabled individuals pursue Social Security disability benefits from the initial application through Administrative Law Judge hearings, Appeals Council review, and federal court proceedings when appropriate. Key Disability has represented thousands of Social Security claimants and brings extensive hearing experience to disability claims.

Call Key Disability at (310) 906-2556 for a free consultation. We can review your disability claim, discuss the stage of the Social Security process you are facing, and explain how our team can assist.

Social Security Disability Insurance is a federal program administered by the Social Security Administration. California claimants therefore use the same federal disability standard that applies to SSDI claims nationwide.

Under the Social Security Administration’s disability eligibility rules, a claimant generally needs a qualifying disability or blindness and enough work history. The condition must affect the person’s ability to work for at least a year or be expected to result in death.

Your work history must generally provide enough Social Security credits for SSDI. In 2026, $1,890 in earnings equals one credit, and no more than four can be earned in a year. The required number depends on your age when disability began, allowing some younger workers to qualify with fewer credits.

Supplemental Security Income uses different nonmedical requirements. SSDI eligibility rests on insured status from covered work, while SSI eligibility depends in part on having little or no income and resources. A disabled person may meet the requirements for both programs depending on the circumstances.

Having a medical diagnosis is not enough to get SSDI. Social Security looks at whether your condition limits your ability to work, using a five-step process.

Social Security first considers work activity and then the severity of the impairment. It next determines whether the condition meets or equals a listed impairment. If the claim continues, the agency assesses residual functional capacity before considering past relevant work and the ability to adjust to other work.

Your earnings are important. In 2026, if you are not blind and earn more than $1,690 a month, Social Security usually decides you can work. If you are blind, the limit is $2,830 a month. There are different rules for people who are self-employed.

These rules make the relationship between medical evidence and work limitations central to an SSDI claim.

Social Security requires objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source to establish a medically determinable impairment. The agency then considers medical and nonmedical evidence when evaluating how the condition affects the claimant’s ability to function in a work setting.

The SSA evidentiary requirements for disability claims call for enough information to evaluate the nature and severity of the impairment, how long it has lasted, and the person’s remaining physical and mental work abilities. Medical records can document treatment history, examination findings, testing, diagnoses, medication, and changes in symptoms.

If the available evidence does not give SSA enough information to decide whether a claimant is disabled, the agency may seek additional evidence or schedule a consultative examination. Under 20 C.F.R. § 404.1512, SSA generally makes reasonable efforts to obtain evidence from the claimant’s medical sources before purchasing a consultative examination.

Claims involving developmental disabilities, neurocognitive disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, neurological conditions, mental health disorders, or multiple medical conditions can present different evidentiary issues. Our attorneys have experience handling disability claims involving complex medical records and functional limitations.

If you live in San Diego, you can apply for SSDI online, by phone, or at your local Social Security office. The application will ask about your medical conditions, treatment, work history, and other details.

Social Security field offices review nonmedical eligibility issues before sending qualifying claims for a medical disability determination. The SSA disability determination process explains that state Disability Determination Services agencies develop medical evidence and make initial disability determinations for Social Security.

California participates in this process through its Disability Determination Service Division. SSA’s current California Disability Determination Service contact directory identifies branches in San Diego, La Jolla, and Rancho Bernardo. California’s own SSDI and SSI information also confirms that SSDI eligibility depends on prior contributions to Social Security.

A complete application gives the agency the information needed to evaluate both the medical and work-history sides of the claim. Our team can help prepare an initial application and organize the supporting record around the issues Social Security evaluates.

A denial does not automatically end a disability claim. The Social Security appeals process provides four levels of appeal, although a claimant may not need to go through every level.

The process begins with reconsideration. A claimant who disagrees with the reconsideration decision may request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. An unfavorable hearing decision can be taken to the Appeals Council, followed by a federal district court action after the required administrative review.

Appeal deadlines require close attention. Social Security generally requires a request for Appeals Council review within 60 days after receipt of the hearing decision. After Appeals Council action, SSA generally gives a claimant 60 days to file a civil action in federal district court.

Under Section 205(g) of the Social Security Act, judicial review generally takes place in the federal judicial district where the claimant resides or has a principal place of business. 28 U.S.C. § 84 places San Diego County within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

An ALJ hearing allows a claimant to present the disability case to an Administrative Law Judge after reconsideration. The judge reviews the evidence and applies the federal disability rules that govern the claim.

The record can include medical evidence, work-history information, written statements, prior agency findings, and testimony. Depending on the case, the hearing may also involve vocational or medical witnesses.

Key Disability brings extensive ALJ experience, including appearances before hundreds of Administrative Law Judges. We prepare clients for the hearing, develop the evidentiary record, address issues identified in earlier claim denials, and present the case under Social Security’s disability standards.

Our representation can continue through Appeals Council review and federal court proceedings when those stages are appropriate.

Social Security regulates fees for representatives appearing before the agency. Under the SSA fee-agreement process, the agency must approve an agreement that satisfies the applicable requirements before a representative may charge and collect the authorized fee through that process.

The current fee-agreement maximum applies to favorable decisions issued on or after November 30, 2024. The allowable fee is capped at the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or $9,200, and the $9,200 amount should not be treated as a guaranteed fee.

Different fee rules can apply when an agreement does not qualify for approval, when a representative uses the fee-petition process, or when legal work extends to federal court. Case expenses can also be separate from an authorized representative fee.

We explain the applicable fee arrangement before representation begins so clients can understand how attorney fees and case expenses may apply to their claim.

Social Security disability is a central focus of our practice. We have represented thousands of claimants and handle claims at multiple stages of the federal disability process.

Our team has substantial hearing experience and experience with developmental disabilities, neurocognitive disorders, and complicated medical records. We also bring prior employee-side litigation experience involving wage-and-hour, discrimination, and wrongful-termination cases.

For San Diego clients, we combine California-local knowledge with broad Social Security Disability experience. We are prepared to handle an initial application, a disability appeal, an ALJ hearing, Appeals Council review, or federal court proceedings when the case requires another level of review.

A Social Security disability claim can affect a household’s financial stability while medical care and work limitations are already creating pressure. Having a legal team that understands the disability process can give you informed representation at each stage of the claim.

Call Key Disability at (310) 906-2556for a free consultation. Our San Diego SSDI lawyers have represented thousands of Social Security claimants, and our team is prepared to put its disability experience to work on your case.