c/ca-disability-lawyers

Just got burned by a cheap disability lawyer last month

I hired a guy from a billboard in LA for my SSDI case back in March. He missed the deadline for my hearing by 3 days because his paralegal quit and nobody told me. I called the SSA office and they said my application was closed out. Had to start over from scratch and now I'm out $500 in filing fees and 6 months of waiting. Has anyone else had a lawyer just drop the ball like this without warning?

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sam_thomas•5h ago

Just found out 70% of initial disability claims get denied in California

I was reading through some stats on the SSA website yesterday and it blew my mind that nearly 7 out of 10 first time claims are rejected here in CA. That number is way higher than I expected. I figured maybe half get denied, but 70% is rough. It really makes me appreciate the lawyers who help folks through the appeals process since most people end up needing them anyway. Has anyone here had their first claim approved without a lawyer, or did you get hit with that denial too?

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sandraflores•9h ago

The day I finally got paid after a 14 month wait on a disability claim

I had a client last week who got approved after waiting since January of last year. The judge literally said 'I don't know why this took so long' during the hearing. That check came through for $28,000 in back pay and I honestly teared up a little when I saw the confirmation. Has anyone else had a case where the wait felt like it was never gonna end?

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joel_butler•2d ago

That one hearing in Fresno last Friday went totally sideways

I had a disability case hearing in Fresno last Friday and it was the worst one I've ever been through. The judge was grilling my client about why she didn't see a doctor for 8 months, but she had no insurance and was homeless for part of that time. I tried to explain it but the judge kept cutting me off and asking the same question over and over. Then the vocational expert said there were 12,000 jobs she could do in the region, which felt totally made up. My client started crying on the stand and I could barely get a word in edgewise. I've been doing this for about 6 years now and I've never had a hearing that went that bad. Has anyone else had a judge who just wouldn't listen to the facts?

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stellachen•3d ago

Spent $2,500 on a fancy disability lawyer in LA and he missed the filing deadline

Paid that big retainer fee to a Beverly Hills firm for my SSDI case and they submitted my paperwork three days late, now I'm back to square one waiting six more months, has anyone else had a lawyer blow a deadline like that?

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cameronf88•4d ago

My lawyer said my medical records were too messy and I needed to fix them

Last month my disability lawyer in Fresno told me straight up that my medical history was all over the place. She said I needed to organize everything by date and highlight any hospital stays over 3 days. I spent a whole Saturday going through 5 years of papers and it actually made my case look way stronger. Has anyone else had their lawyer tell them to redo their paperwork?

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mitchell.lee•5d ago

The one lawyer who told me to just 'wait it out'

I had this meeting with a lawyer in Sacramento last month... he spent maybe 10 minutes looking at my paperwork, then told me to just sit tight for 6 months and try again. No advice, no strategy, just a vague hand wave. I asked him what specifically I should fix on my application, and he said 'the system takes time, don't rush it.' That really stuck with me how useless that was. Has anyone else had a disability lawyer blow you off like that instead of actually helping?

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morgan_bailey93•6d ago

Applied to 3 CA disability lawyers and only one even called me back

I got denied for my back injury claim about 4 months ago and started reaching out to lawyers in the Sacramento area. Two of them had great reviews online but never answered my calls or emails after the initial intake. The one that did get back to me took my case but told me it could take 8-12 months just to get a hearing date. Kinda wondering if the big firms just ghost people who don't have obvious easy cases or if I just had bad luck. Anyone else run into this where lawyers just stop responding after you send your paperwork?

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lucasjackson•8d ago

PSA: My disability claim took 18 months because I missed one form

I filed my CA disability claim back in March 2023 thinking it'd be a few months wait. Lawyer told me to send in a medical history form from my primary doctor, but I forgot to sign it. That one mistake added 9 extra months of back and forth with the SSA. Has anyone else had a delay like this over a simple paperwork error?

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daniel474•8d ago

My initial meeting with a disability lawyer in Fresno left me cold

I sat down with a guy in a fancy office near the courthouse, and he spent the first 20 minutes talking about his car instead of my case. When I finally asked about the backlog for hearings, he just shrugged and said 'could be a year.' Wasted my whole morning. Has anyone found a disability lawyer who actually listens and gives you a straight answer on timelines?

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wendyk56•9d ago

Pro tip: I used to think direct exam prep was a waste of time for disability hearings

For years I just reviewed my client's medical records the night before and winged the direct exam, thinking it saved hours. Then a judge in San Diego tore apart my client's testimony over a 3 month gap in treatment records I hadn't prepped for. Has anyone else changed their prep style after a tough hearing?

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mitchell.lee•10d ago

Most people think Social Security has a cap on what they can earn in savings

I kept hearing from friends that you can't have more than $2,000 in the bank and still get disability, but that's only true for SSI. I spent 6 months not touching my savings because of bad info, anyone else run into this myth?

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alice_hart•11d ago

Appreciation post: Compared my first lawyer with the one I hired after getting denied

Decided to actually look at the win rates my first lawyer had vs the new one and that 40% difference was enough to convince me you gotta vet these people like you vet a moving crew.

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hollyl45•11d ago

Shoutout to my lawyer for catching a SSA math error from 2018

Ngl I used to just take my award letters at face value, but after a buddy told me to double check the back pay calculations, I had my lawyer look into mine. Turns out they missed 14 months of back pay from when I first applied in 2021. Has anyone else found mistakes in their SSA numbers?

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gavin692•12d ago

Was dead set against hiring a lawyer for my SSDI case, but my wife pushed me and I got approved in 4 months

I figured I could handle the paperwork myself since the SSA website lays it all out. Spent 8 months on my own, got denied twice. Gave in and called a firm in Sacramento, they handled the hearing and had a vocational expert tear apart their denial. My wife found them on Yelp with 200 reviews. Got back pay for those 8 months plus ongoing. Anyone else stubbornly try to go it alone first?

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finleym43•14d ago

Tried a flat fee lawyer for my SSDI case and got denied faster than with a contingency firm

I paid a lawyer $2,500 upfront in San Diego to handle my disability claim thinking it would save money, but they rushed through the paperwork and I was denied in 4 months. Has anyone else had better luck with the contingency payment model where you only pay if you win?

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scott.drew•15d ago

Overheard a lawyer say 'functional capacity' at my kid's soccer game last Saturday

A dad on the sideline was explaining to someone how the SSA measures what you can actually do in a work day, and it hit me why my first denial letter made no sense. Has anyone else had their daily activities get twisted around to make you look capable?

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cameronn62•16d ago

Threw $500 at a fancy disability lawyer and got burned hard

I paid a big law firm in San Diego $500 just for an initial consult on my SSDI case, and they basically told me nothing I didn't already know from the SSA website. They promised to handle everything but then dropped my file after two months because my condition wasn't "severe enough" in their eyes. Has anyone else wasted money on a lawyer who didn't even take your case to a hearing?

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grantmartinez•16d ago

Question about how I used to handle SSDI evidence vs now

I used to just drop off a stack of medical records with my initial application back in 2019 (you know, the basic stuff from my GP). But after I got denied twice in San Diego, my lawyer told me I needed to get detailed notes from a specialist I saw for my back issues. Now I make sure to ask my doctors for specific functional reports, like how many minutes I can sit or stand before pain hits. Has anyone else had to totally rethink how they gather their medical evidence after a denial?

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scott.jana•17d ago

Three years with a lawyer and got denied anyway

I hired a disability lawyer in Fresno back in 2021. Paid them $400 upfront for the paperwork. After 3 years of waiting and them telling me to just be patient, got my denial letter last Tuesday. They never even asked for my medical records from my specialist. Anyone else have a lawyer just sit on your case and collect the fee?

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jessica_robinson23•18d ago

Just overheard a lawyer say something about waiting too long to apply

I was sitting in a waiting room last week near a disability lawyer's office in Fresno and I heard him tell someone that waiting even six months after your condition gets worse can mess up your whole case. He said the SSA looks at when you first could have filed, not when you actually did, so delays can cost you back pay. I didn't realize that the date you apply isn't just about getting help faster, it changes how much money you might get. The guy he was talking to had waited almost a year after his doctor said he couldn't work anymore... and the lawyer said he basically lost out on a bunch of benefits. Made me wonder how many people just sit on it because they think they should tough it out or wait for a miracle. Has anyone else run into this issue with their own lawyer? What did they say about timing?

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wells.karen•18d ago

Hot take: Too many people confuse SSDI with SSI when talking to their lawyer

I swear half the posts I see on here people say they applied for disability but don't even know which program. I sat down with my lawyer in Fresno last month and he had to explain the difference for 20 minutes. It matters because SSDI is based on work credits and SSI is based on need, and your whole case strategy changes. Has anyone else had their lawyer waste a whole appointment clearing this up?

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the_robert•18d ago

My disability lawyer asked me to document my symptoms with photos

I spent a whole day taking pictures of my back brace, my cane, and my face making pain faces. Figured I'd send them over and be done. Lawyer called me back and said I looked like I was modeling for a medical catalog. He just wanted a simple pic of my cane and my meds together. Now I just send one photo instead of a whole photoshoot.

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reese_nelson•19d ago

Shoutout to my disability lawyer for catching a mistake SSA made on my onset date

I was about to accept a decision from SSA that gave me benefits starting 6 months later than I actually became disabled. My lawyer at a small firm in Fresno found where they miscalculated my onset date based on an old doctor visit I forgot about. He pushed back and got the judge to correct it, which was an extra $4,800 in back pay for me. Has anyone else had their lawyer find something their own doctor notes missed?

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sullivan.spencer•19d ago

My first SSDI appeal took 18 months in Fresno

Honestly thought it would be a 6 month thing max, but the ALJ hearing got pushed back three times. The lawyer I hired said the backlog in the Fresno office is brutal right now. Has anyone else had their hearing rescheduled more than once?

2 comments