Overview of California SSA Hearing Offices

When a person applies for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the claim usually begins with an initial application submitted to the Social Security Administration. If the claim is denied, applicants may request reconsideration. If the claim is denied again, the next step is typically a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).

This is where the Social Security Administration’s Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) plays a critical role.

OHO hearing offices manage the hearing stage of the disability appeals process. These offices schedule hearings, manage case files, coordinate testimony from claimants and medical or vocational experts, and support Administrative Law Judges who ultimately decide whether a person meets the legal definition of disability.

For many applicants, the hearing stage is the first opportunity to explain their medical limitations directly to a judge, present updated medical evidence, and clarify how their conditions prevent them from working.

Because the hearing process allows a more complete presentation of evidence, many disability claims that were previously denied are approved at the hearing stage.

California has one of the largest hearing office systems in the country. The state’s hearing offices serve claimants throughout California by supporting Social Security field offices in both major metropolitan areas and rural regions.

What Disability Applicants in California Can Expect

Understanding Key Hearing Statistics

When discussing Social Security hearing offices, three statistics are commonly referenced: approval rate, wait time, and processing time. These numbers can help applicants understand what the hearing process may look like, but they are often misunderstood.

Approval Rate

The approval rate reflects the percentage of cases decided by Administrative Law Judges that result in a favorable decision for the claimant.

From the perspective of an applicant, this statistic answers the question:

“Out of all the people who have hearings here, how many are ultimately approved for benefits?”

For example, if a hearing office reports a 60% approval rate, that means roughly six out of ten cases decided by judges at that office result in benefits being awarded.

However, approval rates can vary depending on factors such as:

  • the types of medical conditions being evaluated
  • the quality of medical evidence submitted
  • representation by an attorney or advocate
  • the specific Administrative Law Judge assigned to the case

Because each disability claim is unique, approval rates should be viewed as general trends rather than predictions for a particular case.

Wait Time

The average wait time measures how long applicants typically wait from the date they request a hearing until the hearing is actually scheduled.

From the standpoint of an applicant, this represents:

“How long will I likely wait before I appear before a judge?”

For example, a hearing office reporting an 8-month wait time means that most claimants wait approximately eight months between requesting a hearing and attending the hearing itself.

Wait times can fluctuate based on:

  • the number of appeals filed in the region
  • the number of judges assigned to that office
  • administrative staffing levels
  • national SSA workload changes

Processing Time

The average processing time measures the total amount of time it takes for a hearing office to complete a case after the hearing request is filed.

For applicants, this represents:

“How long will the entire hearing stage take from start to finish?”

Processing time includes:

  • the wait for the hearing to be scheduled
  • the time needed to review evidence before the hearing
  • the time after the hearing for the judge to issue a written decision

For example, if a hearing office reports a processing time of 300 days, that means most applicants will receive a final hearing decision within roughly 10 months of requesting a hearing.

How California Compares to Other States

Across the United States, hearing approval rates and wait times vary significantly. Based on the nationwide data analyzed from hearing offices:

  • The national hearing approval rate generally falls between 55% and 65%
  • Hearing wait times can vary from 6 months in faster states to more than 12 months in slower regions

California falls near the middle nationally for approval rates, but the state tends to experience longer hearing timelines than many other states.

Across California hearing offices:

  • Average approval rate: about 60%
  • Average hearing wait time: about 8–9 months
  • Average case processing time: about 10–11 months

From an applicant’s perspective, this means:

  • A majority of cases decided at hearings result in approval
  • However, applicants in California often wait longer than the national average before receiving a hearing decision.

Differences Amongst Hearing Offices Within California

Even though Social Security disability rules are federal and apply the same way nationwide, local hearing offices can operate quite differently due to workload differences and administrative staffing.

The data across California hearing offices show several clear patterns.

Approval rates vary significantly

Some California hearing offices historically approve disability claims at much higher rates than others.

Across the state:

  • Higher-approval offices report rates above 65–70%
  • Lower-approval offices report rates closer to 45–55%

These differences are influenced by many factors, including the mix of cases heard and the number of judges assigned to the office.

Wait times can vary by several months

California hearing offices generally report wait times ranging from:

  • About 7 months in faster offices
  • Up to about 12 months in slower offices

Offices handling extremely high volumes of cases often experience longer wait times.

Some offices handle much heavier workloads

Certain hearing offices serve very large metropolitan regions and process significantly more appeals than others.

For example, hearing offices serving:

  • Los Angeles
  • Sacramento
  • San Diego
  • Oakland

tend to receive thousands of disability appeals each year.

Higher workloads can contribute to longer wait times and processing delays.

California SSA Hearing Offices

Below is an overview of the Social Security hearing offices located throughout California, including contact information, service areas, and performance statistics.

Fresno Hearing Office

Address
2440 Tulare Street
Fresno, CA 93721

Phone: (866) 964-2594
Fax: (833) 586-0162

Hours:
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Fresno, Hanford, Madera, Merced, Porterville, Visalia and surrounding Central Valley communities.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 61%
  • Average hearing wait time: about 12 months
  • Average processing time: about 418 days

This office serves a large portion of California’s Central Valley and currently reports one of the longest wait times in the state.

Long Beach Hearing Office

Address
200 Oceangate, Suite 150
Long Beach, CA 90802

Phone: (866) 964-2612
Fax: (833) 365-0277

Hours:
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Lakewood, Long Beach, San Pedro, Torrance and surrounding areas.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 52%
  • Average hearing wait time: about 8 months
  • Average processing time: about 290 days

Los Angeles (Downtown) Hearing Office

Address
Roybal Federal Building
255 East Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: (866) 964-2626
Fax: (833) 719-0416

Hours:
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Downtown Los Angeles, Crenshaw, Watts, Wilshire Center and nearby communities.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 60%
  • Average hearing wait time: about 9 months
  • Average processing time: about 350 days

Los Angeles (West) Hearing Office

Address
11600 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Phone: (866) 964-2646
Fax: (833) 414-0623

Hours:
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Chatsworth, Culver City, Hollywood, Inglewood, Lancaster, Panorama City, Santa Clarita and Westwood.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 63%
  • Average hearing wait time: about 9 months
  • Average processing time: about 306 days

Moreno Valley Hearing Office

Address
12100 Heacock Street
Moreno Valley, CA 92557

Phone: (866) 964-2657
Fax: (833) 559-0770

Hours:
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Blythe, Corona, Hemet, Indio, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs and Riverside.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 53%
  • Average hearing wait time: about 9 months
  • Average processing time: about 293 days

Norwalk Hearing Office

Address
12440 Imperial Highway
Norwalk, CA 90650

Phone: (866) 964-2667
Fax: (833) 365-0045

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Whittier, Downey, Norwalk, Bellflower and surrounding communities.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 68%
  • Wait time: about 8 months
  • Processing time: about 280 days

Norwalk has one of the highest approval rates among California hearing offices.

Oakland Hearing Office

Address
1301 Clay Street
Oakland, CA 94612

Phone: (866) 964-2676
Fax: (833) 355-0708

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, Oakland, Richmond, San Leandro and Walnut Creek.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 65%
  • Wait time: about 7 months (one of the shortest in California)
  • Processing time: about 296 days

Oakland combines strong approval rates with relatively short wait times.

Orange Hearing Office

Address
1100 Town and Country Road
Orange, CA 92868

Phone: (866) 964-2688
Fax: (833) 365-0308

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Orange County and surrounding areas.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 63%
  • Wait time: about 8.5 months
  • Processing time: about 333 days

Pasadena Hearing Office

Address
301 North Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Phone: (866) 964-2698
Fax: (833) 365-0326

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Alhambra, Arcadia, Glendale, El Monte, Pasadena, and West Covina.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 66%
  • Wait time: about 8 months
  • Processing time: about 277 days

Pasadena is one of the more efficient offices in Southern California.

Sacramento Hearing Office

Address
501 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: (866) 964-2709
Fax: (833) 365-0336

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Auburn, Chico, Oroville, Placerville, Redding, Roseville, Sacramento, Susanville. and Yuba City.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 65%
  • Wait time: about 8 months
  • Processing time: about 305 days
  • Pending cases: over 1,400

Sacramento is one of the largest hearing offices in Northern California.

San Bernardino Hearing Office

Address
605 West 4th Street
San Bernardino, CA 92401

Phone: (866) 964-2721
Fax: (833) 365-0347

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Barstow, Needles, San Bernardino and surrounding Inland Empire areas.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 62%
  • Wait time: about 8 months
  • Processing time: about 274 days (among the fastest in California)

San Diego Hearing Office

Address
880 Front Street
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: (866) 964-2732
Fax: (833) 365-0356

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Chula Vista, El Cajon, Oceanside, San Diego and nearby communities.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 57%
  • Wait time: about 10 months
  • Processing time: about 380 days

San Diego handles a large workload and tends to have longer processing times.

San Francisco Hearing Office

Address
90 Seventh Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Phone: (866) 964-2742
Fax: (833) 365-0366

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

San Francisco, Daly City, San Mateo and nearby Bay Area communities.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 46%
  • Wait time: about 8 months
  • Processing time: about 314 days

San Francisco has one of the lowest approval rates in California.

San Jose Hearing Office

Address
280 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Phone: (866) 964-2752
Fax: (833) 365-0377

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Campbell, Gilroy, Mountain View, Redwood City, Salinas, San Jose, and Santa Cruz.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 57%
  • Wait time: about 10 months
  • Processing time: about 315 days

San Rafael Hearing Office

Address
4040 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903

Phone: (866) 964-2763
Fax: (833) 365-0387

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Eureka, Napa, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Ukiah and Northern Coastal regions.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 61%
  • Wait time: about 8 months
  • Processing time: about 291 days

Santa Barbara Hearing Office

Address
122 West Figueroa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Phone: (866) 964-2774
Fax: (833) 365-0398

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Oxnard, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 74% (highest in California)
  • Wait time: about 10 months
  • Processing time: about 395 days
  • Pending cases: over 1,500

Stockton Hearing Office

Address
1110 West Fremont Street
Stockton, CA 95203

Phone: (866) 964-2784
Fax: (833) 365-0408

Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Areas Served

Lodi, Manteca, Modesto, Sonora, Stockton, Tracy and Turlock.

Office Data

  • Approval rate: about 44%
  • Wait time: about 8 months
  • Processing time: about 298 days

Stockton currently reports the lowest approval rate among California hearing offices.

Assistance With SSDI and SSI Hearings in California

Preparing for a Social Security disability hearing can be complex. By the time a claim reaches the hearing stage, applicants have often already been through multiple denials and may be facing significant financial stress.

At the hearing level, the Administrative Law Judge will review the medical evidence, hear testimony about the applicant’s limitations, and determine whether the claimant meets the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability. Presenting medical records clearly and explaining how symptoms affect the ability to work can play an important role in the outcome of a case.

Disability Advocates Group assists individuals throughout California who are preparing for SSDI and SSI hearings. The firm works with clients to gather medical documentation, review the hearing file, prepare testimony, and present evidence before an Administrative Law Judge.