Loading your guide…
Voucher CompassSSI, SSDI and Social Security offices · by Green Tips 1

Independent guide, not a government agency

Independent guide · not the SSA

SSDI · California

SSDI in California: disability decisions, hearings and beneficiaries

487,142 disabled workers in California got SSDI in December 2025. Here is how the state's disability agency decided claims in the last 12 months, the hearing offices for appeals and the numbers by county.

487,142disabled workers getting SSDI (Dec 2025)
34.9%initial claims allowed, Aug 2025–Jul 2026
17hearing offices in the state
Offices in CaliforniaAddress, phone and hours SSDI back payEstimate the past-due months My payment dateBy birth date

Disability decisions in California

A state agency, the Disability Determination Services (DDS), makes the medical decision on SSDI and SSI disability claims for SSA. In the 12 months from August 2025 to July 2026, the California DDS made 202,343 initial decisions and allowed 34.9% of them, 1.4 points below the all-state figure of 36.3%.

34.9%initial claims allowed (12 months)
16.6%reconsiderations allowed
77,121initial claims pending, end of July 2026

Initial allowance rate by month (%)

  1. Aug37
  2. Sep34
  3. Oct34
  4. Nov35
  5. Dec36
  6. Jan32
  7. Feb34
  8. Mar35
  9. Apr33
  10. May35
  11. Jun36
  12. Jul37
  • SSDI-only initial claims allowed36.2%
  • SSI-only initial claims allowed40.7%
  • New initial claims received (12 months)213,470
  • Reconsiderations pending, end of July 202663,219

An allowance rate is a share of past decisions, not a prediction for any one claim.

Hearing offices in California

If reconsideration is denied, the next step is a hearing with an administrative law judge. California has 17 hearing offices in SSA's data.

Disabled workers by county

  • Los Angeles106,955
  • San Diego35,970
  • Riverside35,420
  • San Bernardino32,610
  • Sacramento26,890
  • Orange26,765
  • Alameda16,640
  • Contra Costa14,660
  • Kern14,425
  • Fresno14,370
All 58 counties
CountyAll beneficiariesDisabled workers
Alameda248,40516,640
Alpine28510
Amador12,675885
Butte48,8905,205
Calaveras14,5651,050
Colusa4,375405
Contra Costa213,45014,660
Del Norte7,025810
El Dorado51,1453,095
Fresno160,30014,370
Glenn6,310625
Humboldt30,4402,895
Imperial40,2003,350
Inyo4,790280
Kern140,35014,425
Kings21,0552,050
Lake18,4352,215
Lassen5,890575
Los Angeles1,565,570106,955
Madera28,4552,220
Marin57,9851,985
Mariposa5,260365
Mendocino23,4401,915
Merced44,5204,585
Modoc2,640235
Mono1,82075
Monterey73,5855,110
Napa30,1701,740
Nevada30,9701,790
Orange546,46026,765
Placer96,9705,670
Plumas6,085440
Riverside452,85535,420
Sacramento280,73026,890
San Benito11,295835
San Bernardino351,20032,610
San Diego586,00035,970
San Francisco137,5359,020
San Joaquin128,19011,785
San Luis Obispo70,5203,690
San Mateo129,3855,590
Santa Barbara83,0154,980
Santa Clara269,78514,150
Santa Cruz56,1903,235
Shasta49,3655,630
Sierra91570
Siskiyou13,9101,265
Solano91,5658,125
Sonoma114,9206,640
Stanislaus97,67010,085
Sutter18,6301,970
Tehama15,7751,840
Trinity3,730340
Tulare74,6557,285
Tuolumne16,8801,220
Ventura166,27010,385
Yolo35,3652,710
Yuba14,7752,005

December 2025. SSA rounds county counts to the nearest 5. In California, SSA paid disabled workers $815.6 million that month.

2027 amounts

$1,029SSI federal maximum per month in 2027, one person ($994 in 2026)
$1,544SSI federal maximum for a couple in 2027
3.6%Cost-of-living raise for 2027 (COLA)
$1,770SSDI work limit (SGA) per month in 2027, not blind
  • Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026SSI payment for December 2026
  • Nov. 10, 2026 · Nov. 18, 2026 · Nov. 25, 2026SSDI in November 2026, by birth date (1st–10th, 11th–20th, 21st–31st)

More for California

SSI in California: state supplement and recipients
Denied? Appeal stepsDeadlines and levelsWorking on SSDISGA and trial work checkSSI or SSDI?Side by side

Questions people ask

How many SSDI claims are allowed in California?

In the 12 months through July 2026, the California DDS allowed 34.9% of initial disability decisions and 16.6% of reconsiderations.

How many people get SSDI in California?

SSA counted 487,142 disabled workers getting benefits in California in December 2025, plus 57,861 children and 8,178 spouses of disabled workers.

How much is SSDI?

It depends on your work record. SSA's estimate for all disabled workers is an average of $1,701 a month after the 2027 raise ($1,642 before it).

Where do I apply for SSDI in California?

With SSA: online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or at one of the 124 Social Security offices in California.

Independent guide · not the SSA. Green Tips 1 US is a private guide. We are not the Social Security Administration, we are not part of it, and we do not take applications. We are not a law firm and do not refer cases to lawyers.

Sources: SSA State Agency Monthly Workload Data (SSA-SA-MOWL.csv), August 2025 to July 2026; SSA, OASDI Beneficiaries by State and County, December 2025 (oasdi_sc25); SSA Office of Hearings Operations: hearing office locator file, average wait until hearing (Aug 2026), average processing time and ALJ dispositions (12 months through Jul 31, 2026); SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet; SSA, Disability Determination Process (ssa.gov/disability/determination.htm). Official site, typed by hand: ssa.gov. Read in October 2026; data dates as noted.