Social Security disability
Disability benefits in California
Social Security rules are the same in every state. This page covers what is different in California: who decides your claim, state money added to SSI, Medicaid, hearings and free help.
You have 60 days to appeal each decision, plus 5 days for mail.
Who decides your claim in California?
Disability Determination Service Division (DDSD)
This state office decides the medical part of your Social Security disability claim. Social Security checks the other rules, like work credits and income. The state says this division decides the medical eligibility of disabled Californians who ask for public help.
- Part of
- California Department of Social Services (CDSS)
- Website
- https://www.cdss.ca.gov/
Does California add money to SSI?
State Supplementary Payment (SSP)
If you get SSI in California, you also get SSP. The amount depends on where you live and who you live with. People who are blind, people with no kitchen, and people in licensed care homes get more.
Paid by: Social Security, together with your SSI payment
| Who | State part | Total per month with SSI | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged or disabled person living independently (with cooking facilities) | $239.94 | $1,233.94 | January 1, 2026 |
| Aged or disabled couple living independently (with cooking facilities) | $607.83 | $2,098.83 | January 1, 2026 |
| Aged or disabled person living in the household of another (federal one-third reduction) | $245.20 | $907.87 | January 1, 2026 |
| Person in non-medical out-of-home care (licensed care home or home of a relative or guardian who gives care) | $632.07 | $1,626.07 | January 1, 2026 |
| Blind person living independently | $324.32 | $1,318.32 | January 1, 2026 |
| Person in a medical facility where Medi-Cal pays more than half the cost | $32 | $62 | January 1, 2026 |
The total uses the federal SSI amount for that living arrangement. For people living on their own, the federal SSI part is $994 a month for one person or $1,491 for a couple in 2026. In another person's household or in a medical facility it is less.
- How to apply
- You do not need a separate application. When you apply for SSI, Social Security also checks you for SSP. Social Security pays SSI and SSP together in one payment.
- Contact
- Social Security Administration (runs SSI/SSP for California)
1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778)
https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/ssi-ssp
Medicaid in California
California's Medicaid program is called Medi-Cal. If you get SSI, you get Medi-Cal. You do not need a separate Medi-Cal application. Your SSI award letter will say that you will hear from the state about Medi-Cal.
- Program
- Medi-Cal
- Medicaid agency
- California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal-resources/county-offices/
1-800-541-5555 (Medi-Cal Helpline)
Medicaid for working people with disabilities: 250% California Working Disabled Program (250% WDP)
This program lets some people with disabilities who work get Medi-Cal. You must meet Social Security's disability rule and have a paid job. There is no minimum number of hours or minimum pay. Your net family income must be under 250% of the federal poverty level. Your countable assets must be $130,000 or less for one person, plus $65,000 for each extra person in your family (up to 10 people). There is no monthly premium. Since July 1, 2022, the premium is $0. You sign up at your county social services office.
State disability and paid leave in California
State Disability Insurance (SDI) - Disability Insurance (DI)
- Run by
- California Employment Development Department (EDD)
- Who it covers
- Workers who pay into SDI (it shows as "CASDI" on a paystub). You must be unable to do your regular work for at least 8 days, lose wages because of it, and have been working or looking for work when it started. You must have earned at least $300 with SDI taken out during your base period. A licensed health professional must certify your disability.
- Benefit
- About 70% to 90% of the wages you earned 5 to 18 months before your claim started, depending on your income. The weekly amount is $50 to $1,765. You can get up to 52 weeks. The first 7 days are an unpaid waiting period.
- How to file
- Apply online in SDI Online through a myEDD account, or file a paper claim form (DE 2501). Your licensed health professional must send the medical certification. Your claim is not complete until EDD gets both parts.
- Filing deadline
- Wait 9 days after your disability starts to file. File within 49 days of the date your disability started. Your health professional must also send the certification within 49 days.
- Phone
- 1-800-480-3287 (Spanish 1-866-658-8846, TTY 1-800-563-2441)
Paid Family Leave (PFL)
- Run by
- California Employment Development Department (EDD)
- Who it covers
- Workers who pay into SDI and need time off to care for a seriously ill family member, bond with a new child, or help with a family member's military deployment. PFL is not for your own illness. For your own illness, see Disability Insurance.
- Benefit
- Up to 8 weeks in a 12-month period. The weekly amount is $50 to $1,765.
- How to file
- Apply online in SDI Online through a myEDD account.
- Phone
- 1-877-238-4373 (Spanish 1-877-379-3819, TTY 1-800-445-1312)
Hearing offices and federal court in California
17 hearing offices serve California. Hearing office locator (Social Security)
Long Beach, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Federal Building, Suite 5300, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802
- Phone
- (855) 532-0889
- Fax
- (833) 365-0277
Los Angeles, CA (Downtown) Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 888 S. Figueroa St., Suite 800, Los Angeles, CA 90017
- Fax
- (833) 719-0416
Norwalk, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 250, 12440 E. Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA 90650
- Phone
- (877) 870-6385
- Fax
- (833) 648-0169
Orange, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Centrum North, Suite 600, 1120 West La Veta Avenue, Orange, CA 92868
- Phone
- (866) 593-1447
- Fax
- (833) 769-0241
Pasadena, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Pasadena Towers 1, Suite 500, 800 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91101
- Phone
- (866) 354-0220
- Fax
- (833) 311-0104
Fresno, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 300, 2440 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA 93721
- Fax
- (833) 586-0162
Los Angeles, CA (West) Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 400, 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025
- Phone
- (866) 748-2089
- Fax
- (833) 414-0623
Moreno Valley, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 3rd Floor, 22690 Cactus Avenue, Moreno Valley, CA 92553
- Fax
- (833) 559-0770
Oakland, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Oakland Federal Building, Suite 200N, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612
- Phone
- (866) 366-4916
- Fax
- (833) 769-0239
Sacramento, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 250, 1610 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95815
- Phone
- (866) 931-2544
- Fax
- (833) 365-0279
Stockton, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 100, 3116 W. March Lane, Stockton, CA 95219
- Phone
- (866) 494-3136
- Fax
- (833) 320-0691
San Bernardino, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 200, 605 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92401
- Fax
- (833) 719-0408
San Diego, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 900, 525 B Street, San Diego, CA 92101
- Phone
- (866) 331-2294
- Fax
- (833) 586-0164
San Francisco, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Equity Building, 16th Floor, 301 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
- Fax
- (833) 365-0281
San Jose, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Robert F. Peckham Federal Building, 280 South 1ST ST RM 330, San Jose, CA 95113-3005
- Phone
- 1-800-772-1213
- Fax
- (833) 648-0171
San Rafael, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 230, 4040 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903
- Phone
- 1-800-772-1213
- Fax
- (833) 748-0036
Santa Barbara, CA Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 206, 222 East Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Phone
- (866) 273-4953
- Fax
- (833) 656-0266
Federal district court
If you appeal to federal court, you file in the district court that covers your county.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (15)
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Del Norte
- Humboldt
- Lake
- Marin
- Mendocino
- Monterey
- Napa
- San Benito
- San Francisco
- San Mateo
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Sonoma
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (34)
- Alpine
- Amador
- Butte
- Calaveras
- Colusa
- El Dorado
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Inyo
- Kern
- Kings
- Lassen
- Madera
- Mariposa
- Merced
- Modoc
- Mono
- Nevada
- Placer
- Plumas
- Sacramento
- San Joaquin
- Shasta
- Sierra
- Siskiyou
- Solano
- Stanislaus
- Sutter
- Tehama
- Trinity
- Tulare
- Tuolumne
- Yolo
- Yuba
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (7)
- Los Angeles
- Ventura
- Santa Barbara
- San Luis Obispo
- Orange
- Riverside
- San Bernardino
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (2)
- San Diego
- Imperial
Free help in California
Protection & Advocacy agency (P&A)
Disability Rights California
- Phone
- 1-800-776-5746 (TTY 1-800-719-5798)
Legal aid
- Bay Area Legal Aid · 1-800-551-5554
https://baylegal.org/legal-areas/ssi-disability/ - California Indian Legal Services
https://www.calindian.org/ - California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) · 1-800-337-0690
https://crla.org/ - Central California Legal Services · 1-800-675-8001
https://centralcallegal.org/ - Community Legal Aid SoCal · 714-571-5200
https://www.communitylegalsocal.org/ - Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance
https://gbla.org/ - Inland Counties Legal Services · 1-888-245-4257
https://www.inlandlegal.org/ - Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) · 1-800-399-4529
https://lafla.org/ - Legal Aid Society of San Diego · 1-877-534-2524
https://www.lassd.org/ssi-benefits/ - Legal Services of Northern California
https://lsnc.net/ - Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County · 1-800-433-6251
https://nlsla.org/
Benefits counseling and work (WIPA)
- Center for Independence of Individuals with Disabilities (San Mateo) · 650-645-1780
https://www.cidsanmateo.org/
Serves: San Francisco Bay Area, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo areas - PRIDE Industries (Citrus Heights)
https://www.prideindustries.com/
Serves: Sacramento and Northern California - Disability Resources Agency for Independent Living (Modesto) · 1-888-345-6766
https://www.drail.org/
Serves: Central Valley, including Fresno and Stanislaus - Managed Career Solutions Economic Development Corporation (Reseda) · 1-866-920-5464
https://www.mcs-edc.org/
Serves: Santa Barbara area - Managed Career Solutions, Social Purpose Corporation (Los Angeles) · 213-632-7000
https://www.mcscalifornia.com/
Serves: Los Angeles area - Project Independence (Costa Mesa) · 714-549-3464
https://proindependence.org/
Serves: Orange, San Bernardino and Kern areas - Disability Rights California (San Diego) · 1-888-768-7058
https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/
Serves: San Diego, Imperial and Riverside areas
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)
- Phone
- 1-800-952-5544
- Website
- https://www.dor.ca.gov/
Good to know in California
- California's state supplement is paid by Social Security together with SSI in one payment. In January 2026, an aged or disabled person living on their own could get up to $1,233.94 a month in SSI and SSP combined. (POMS SI 01415.058B)
- Some immigrants who cannot get SSI only because of their immigration status may get the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) from their county. (CDSS SSI/SSP page)
- Since January 1, 2026, people whose disability began before age 46 can open a CalABLE account. Before that, the age was 26. (CalABLE Age Adjustment page)
Recent changes
January 1, 2025: SB 951 raised SDI Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave pay to up to 90% of wages for lower-income workers and 70% for higher-income workers. It is not retroactive: claims from 2024 stay at 2024 rates (60% to 70%). (EDD news release, January 2, 2025.) January 1, 2026: new SSP amounts took effect (see the table above), and the ABLE age limit rose from 26 to 46 (CalABLE).
More RobinClaim guides for California → · All states
Sources
- SSA POMS SI 01415.058 - Federally Administered Optional Supplementary Payment Programs for January 2026 (California, section B)
- SSA POMS SI 01415.000 - Elements of State Supplementary Payments, table of contents
- SSA POMS SI 01715.010 - Medicaid and the SSI Program
- CDSS - Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP)
- CDSS - 2026 May Revision, SSI/SSP Maximum Grant Comparison to Fair Market Rent
- CDSS - PUB 467 (CDSS divisions, including the Disability Determination Service Division)
- DHCS - Working Disabled Program
- EDD - Disability Insurance Benefits
- EDD - Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts
- EDD - How to File a Disability Insurance Claim in SDI Online
- EDD - Disability Insurance Claim Process
- EDD - Contact State Disability Insurance
- EDD - Paid Family Leave
- EDD - California Boosts Paid Family Leave and Disability Benefits to Record Levels for New Claims Filed in 2025 (January 2, 2025)
- California Department of Rehabilitation - Contact Us
- California Department of Rehabilitation - Programs for Social Security Beneficiaries
- CalABLE
- CalABLE - Age Adjustment
- NDRN - Member Agencies (California)
- SSA Ticket to Work - Find Help (WIPA search by ZIP)
- LSC - Our Grantees (California)
- U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal. - Jurisdiction Map
- U.S. District Court, E.D. Cal. - Jurisdiction and Venue
- U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal. - Jurisdiction
- U.S. District Court, S.D. Cal. - Jurisdiction Map
- Social Security: office locator
- Social Security: hearing office locator
Last checked: November 2026