Los Angeles SSDI Claims Lawyer
What does an SSDI lawyer actually do?
Most people don't lose SSDI claims because they aren't disabled. They lose because the medical record doesn't say what Social Security needs it to say, in the language Social Security's rules require. That's the gap a disability lawyer closes.
At Mayberry Law, we review your work history and medical records before anything is filed, so problems are fixed before a claims examiner sees them. We work with your doctors to obtain opinion evidence that addresses the specific functional questions Social Security asks — how long you can sit, stand, lift, and concentrate — not just diagnoses.
We handle every deadline, every form, and all communication with SSA. And if your claim goes to a hearing, an attorney who has prepared your file from the beginning is the one standing next to you in front of the judge.
You might qualify for substantial monthly benefits
Answer a few questions to assess the strength of your claim.
Takes about two minutes. No commitment. Informational only — not legal advice or a decision by Social Security.
Who qualifies for SSDI in 2026?
SSDI is an insurance program you paid into through payroll taxes. To qualify, you must meet both a medical test and a work test.
The medical test: you have a physical or mental condition, established by medical evidence, that has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months (or result in death) and prevents you from working at a substantial level. In 2026, Social Security generally treats earnings above $1,690 per month ($2,830 if you are blind) as 'substantial gainful activity' — meaning if you earn more than that, SSA will usually find you not disabled regardless of your diagnosis. (Source: SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet.)
The work test: you need enough recent work credits. In 2026, you earn one credit for each $1,890 in wages, up to four per year. Most adults need 40 credits total, with 20 earned in the last 10 years — roughly five of the last ten years working — though younger workers need fewer. If you stopped working years before applying, your coverage may have lapsed, and the date matters enormously. This is one of the first things we check in a free case evaluation.
The average SSDI benefit in 2026 is about $1,630 per month, with a maximum of $4,152, depending on your earnings record. SSDI also comes with Medicare after 24 months of benefit entitlement.
How much does an SSDI lawyer cost?
This is the question people are most afraid to ask, so here is the complete answer.
You pay nothing up front and nothing out of pocket. Federal law — not our firm — sets the fee: the lesser of 25% of your past-due benefits or $9,200 (the 2026 cap, which SSA now reviews annually for cost-of-living changes). If you don't win, you owe no fee at all.
You never write us a check. Social Security typically withholds the fee from your back-pay award and pays it directly to your attorney. Your ongoing monthly benefit is never touched — the fee comes only from the lump sum of past-due benefits.
Two honest footnotes. First, out-of-pocket case costs — like the copying fees hospitals charge for medical records — are separate from the attorney fee, and we're glad to walk through how they work in your case. Second, in the rare case that goes beyond SSA into federal court, different fee rules apply, and fees there may be paid by the government under the Equal Access to Justice Act rather than out of your benefits. Fee arrangements in Social Security cases are documented in writing and subject to SSA's own review and approval — a layer of federal oversight that exists in almost no other area of law. (Sources: 42 U.S.C. § 406; SSA fee agreement process.)
What happens after an SSDI denial in Los Angeles?
Do not panic, and do not start over. Nationally, roughly two-thirds of initial SSDI applications are denied — a denial is the middle of the process, not the end of it. What matters is the 60-day deadline printed on your notice: each stage of appeal must be requested within 60 days, and starting a new application instead of appealing can cost you months of back pay.
- 1
Reconsideration
A different examiner reviews your file. Most reconsiderations are denied, but this stage is where we strengthen the medical record for the stage that actually decides most cases.
- 2
Hearing before an administrative law judge
This is where prepared claims win. You (with your attorney) testify before a judge, often alongside a vocational expert. Nationally, roughly 55–60% of hearing-level decisions are approvals — the best odds anywhere in the process. Los Angeles claims are heard by SSA hearing offices including Los Angeles Downtown and Los Angeles West. SSA's Average Wait Time Until Hearing Held Report for October 2025 shows average waits of 9.0 months for Los Angeles Downtown and 10.0 months for Los Angeles West. With over 300,000 hearings pending nationally, the wait is long — which is exactly why the file must be complete and correct the first time. (Source: SSA Average Wait Time Until Hearing Held Report, October 2025.)
- 3
Appeals Council
A paper review of whether the judge made a legal error.
- 4
Federal district court
The final stop is a lawsuit in federal district court — but very few claims belong there, and a firm that pushes every denial toward federal court isn't doing its clients a favor. After an unfavorable hearing decision, the honest question is whether to appeal, refile, or stop, and the answer depends on your case. We'll walk you through it plainly.
If the hearing decision goes against you
An unfavorable decision from the judge is a hard letter to open, and we won't pretend otherwise: for some claims, it is effectively the end of the road. But not for all. The right next move depends on specifics — whether the judge made a legal error worth challenging, whether your condition has worsened since you applied, and whether you've crossed an age threshold that changes how Social Security must evaluate you (the rules shift meaningfully at age 50, and again at 55). Sometimes the answer is an appeal. More often it's a carefully timed new application. And sometimes the honest advice is that further pursuit isn't worth what it will cost you in time and hope. What we promise is a straight answer about which of those applies to you.
The five-step test Social Security uses to decide your claim
Every SSDI decision walks the same five questions, in order: (1) Are you working above the substantial gainful activity level? (2) Is your condition severe? (3) Does it meet or equal one of SSA's listed impairments? (4) Can you still do your past work? (5) Can you do any other work that exists in significant numbers, given your age, education, and skills? Most cases are won or lost at steps four and five — and those steps turn on functional evidence about what you can and cannot do, which is precisely the evidence we build your file around.
Why choose Mayberry Law for your SSDI claim?
Father And
Son Team
Personal, responsive service from Brent and Quinn Mayberry.