San Diego SSI Lawyers

A serious medical condition can limit your ability to work while rent, food, transportation, and medical costs continue. Supplemental Security Income can provide monthly payments to people with limited income and resources who meet Social Security’s age, blindness, or disability rules.

Our San Diego SSI lawyers help disabled individuals pursue benefits through the Social Security Administration. We handle SSI claims from initial applications through reconsideration and Administrative Law Judge hearings. Our work can continue through Appeals Council review and, when appropriate, federal court proceedings. Our team has represented thousands of Social Security claimants and brings broad experience in disability claims to California clients.

Call Key Disability at (310) 906-2556 or fill out our contact form to discuss your SSI claim. We can review the decision or application, identify the issues Social Security is considering, and explain how our team can help.

Under the Social Security Administration’s SSI eligibility rules, adults and children may qualify if they have little or no income and resources and meet another eligibility category. A claimant may qualify based on disability or blindness. People age 65 or older may qualify without proving disability, subject to the program’s other requirements.

For adults applying based on disability, SSI uses the same medical definition of disability that applies to Social Security Disability Insurance. SSA’s disability standard requires a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents substantial gainful activity and is expected to result in death or last at least 12 continuous months.

SSI and Social Security Disability Insurance are not the same. SSDI is based on your work history and Social Security coverage. SSI is based on need and looks at your income and resources. If you do not have enough work credits for SSDI, you might still qualify for SSI if you meet the other requirements.

The SSA uses a five-step process to decide adult disability claims. They review your medical records and see how your condition affects your ability to work. Having a diagnosis is not enough. SSA must decide if your condition meets its medical and functional rules.

The SSA five-step disability evaluation considers:

· Current work activity: SSA first determines whether the claimant is performing substantial gainful activity. · Severity: The agency considers whether an impairment or combination of impairments significantly limits basic work activities and satisfies the duration requirement. · Medical listings: SSA considers whether the claimant’s impairment satisfies or medically equals the criteria of a listed impairment. · Past relevant work: SSA evaluates the claimant’s residual functional capacity to determine whether they can still perform past relevant work. · Other work: SSA considers whether the claimant can adjust to other work based on residual functional capacity, age, education, and work experience.

Medical records can shape each stage of this review. The SSA disability determination process calls for information about claimed impairments and treatment sources, along with other evidence related to disability. SSA also has specific guidance for conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome. Its Listing of Impairments also addresses neurocognitive and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Medical eligibility is only one part of an SSI claim. Social Security also reviews income and countable resources because SSI is a needs-based disability program.

SSA continues to use a $2,000 countable-resource limit for individuals and a $3,000 limit for couples in 2026. These amounts were not changed by the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment. Assets excluded under SSI rules do not count toward these limits.

Some property falls outside the resource calculation. Under SSA’s resource-limit exceptions, the home where a claimant lives generally does not count. One vehicle per household and most personal belongings and household goods also generally do not count.

Your income can affect whether you qualify for SSI and how much you receive. The SSA has rules for different types of income, what is excluded, your living situation, and when someone else’s income or resources are counted in your case.

Children under 18 can get SSI if they meet Social Security’s disability rules for kids and the financial requirements. SSA may count some of the parents’ income and resources for a child living at home. These rules can affect both eligibility and payment amounts.

Under the SSA childhood disability standard, a child must have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, or combination of impairments, that causes marked and severe functional limitations. The condition must also be expected to result in death or last for the required 12-month period.

SSA evaluates whether a child’s impairment meets, medically equals, or functionally equals a listing. The agency may consider school records when evaluating a child’s functioning. Its guidance for school professionals identifies records involving academic performance, testing, special education services, and day-to-day functioning as potential evidence. Our team has experience with claims involving developmental disabilities and neurocognitive disorders.

SSI is a federal program, but California adds a State Supplementary Payment called SSP. The SSA uses the same federal eligibility rules for both SSI and SSP.

The California Department of Social Services SSI/SSP program states that SSI is federally funded and SSP is the state program that augments it. SSA administers both benefits and determines eligibility using federal criteria. CDSS also states that an eligible person who qualifies for SSI qualifies for SSP.

Medi-Cal can also be tied to SSI/SSP eligibility. The California Department of Health Care Services states that people receiving SSI/SSP automatically receive Medi-Cal with no share of cost. That connection can make an SSI determination relevant to both monthly cash assistance and medical coverage.

A denial can move through several levels of Social Security review. The SSA appeals process generally starts with reconsideration. A claimant who disagrees with the reconsideration decision may request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, followed by Appeals Council review.

SSA generally gives claimants 60 days after receiving an unfavorable determination or decision to request the next level of review. The notice explains the applicable appeal rights and filing period.

At a disability hearing, the judge reviews the evidence and asks questions about the claimant’s medical condition. According to SSA’s hearing guidance, the judge may also call medical experts or other witnesses. Vocational experts may provide evidence at disability hearings when SSA calls them to address work-related issues.

After the Appeals Council denies review or issues an unfavorable decision, a claimant may seek judicial review in federal district court. SSA’s federal court review guidance provides 60 days to file a civil action after the Appeals Council decision. San Diego County falls within the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

SSI cases can be complicated. You may need to deal with medical records, financial rules, and strict deadlines. A lawyer can help organize your case and make sure Social Security has the information it needs.

Our lawyers can assist with an initial application, review medical evidence, address claim denials, and prepare for an Administrative Law Judge hearing. We also handle later appeals when appropriate. Our review can include whether the record contains enough information about treatment and symptoms, along with functional limits and relevant work history.

Claims can become more difficult when the medical history spans years or involves several conditions. Our team works to present the evidence accurately and connect it to the qualifying criteria Social Security applies.

Representatives generally must obtain SSA authorization to charge and collect fees for services provided before the agency. SSA’s representative-fee rules recognize fee agreements and fee petitions as separate authorization processes.

Social Security Disability is a central part of our practice. We have represented thousands of claimants and appeared before hundreds of Administrative Law Judges. That experience gives our team a broad view of claims from the initial application through hearings and later review.

We also handle cases involving developmental disabilities and neurocognitive disorders and bring multistate Social Security Disability experience to our work. For California clients, we combine that background with knowledge of the SSI/SSP and Medi-Cal framework that applies in the state.

A disability claim can involve long treatment histories and serious financial challenges. We remain involved through the stage a client needs, including Appeals Council review and federal court proceedings when appropriate.

Call Key Disability at (310) 906-2556 or fill out our contact form to discuss your San Diego SSI claim. Our team is prepared to bring its Social Security Disability experience to your case from the initial application through the appeals process.