Oakland, California
SSDI and SSI Lawyers for Oakland, California, and the Field Offices Heard at Clay Street
Nine Social Security field offices, from Richmond and Antioch to Fremont, are listed under a single hearing office at 1301 Clay Street in Oakland. Downard & Associates represents Oakland adults with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims through every stage before Social Security, from the application to Appeals Council review. There is no fee unless you win.
How we help
Representing Oakland Claimants From Lebanon, Tennessee
Consultations happen by phone or video, and our attorneys handle hearings from Tennessee by phone or video.
An Oakland claim is decided under the same federal rules as any other. The local part is the paperwork: records held by Alameda Health System, Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health, each with its own request route, and county General Assistance that Alameda County treats as a loan repayable from SSI back pay.
We handle applications, reconsideration, hearings and Appeals Council review, for SSDI and for SSI claims, and we respond within 3 business hours.
We have no Oakland office. Consultations happen by phone or video, and our attorneys handle hearings from Tennessee by phone or video. We represent adults age 18 and older. We handle SSDI cases for people who receive VA benefits, but we do not handle VA claims or appeals. We do not take disability cessation or continuing disability review cases, or cases about back pay alone, and we refer federal court appeals to affiliated counsel.
Hearing office
The Clay Street Hearing Office and the Field Offices on Its List
Social Security's hearing office locator data lists the Oakland hearing office at Oakland Federal Building, Suite 200N, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612. It names these field offices as served by Oakland: Antioch, Berkeley, East Oakland, Fremont, Hayward/Livermore (merged), Oakland, Richmond, San Leandro and Walnut Creek. Hayward/Livermore (merged) is a single entry, printed that way by SSA.
Neighboring field offices sit on other lists. Vallejo, Suisun City and Napa are listed under San Rafael; Daly City, San Mateo and the San Francisco field offices under San Francisco; Redwood City and Mountain View under San Jose.
Which hearing office has a case is set by the claimant's residence address. Social Security's operations manual, POMS GN 03103.040, says the hearing office that services the claimant's residence address has jurisdiction, even if the claimant has a representative whose office is in another hearing office's service area, so hiring a Tennessee firm does not move an Oakland case. The Clay Street office generally handles claims from addresses in its service area, but a case can be transferred to another hearing office, for example at the claimant's request, so read each notice for the office it names. Our hearing office directory lists offices nationwide, and our California disability lawyer page covers the state's other hearing offices.
Hearing formats
Phone, Video or In Person for an Oakland Hearing
Deadline
30days
20 CFR 404.936
Social Security offers hearings by phone, online video, agency video or in person. Its hearing options page describes a phone hearing from a private location you choose and online video on your own smartphone, tablet or computer, and says Social Security sends a Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing after you request one.
Under 20 CFR 404.936 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1436 for SSI, Social Security sets the time and manner of appearance and notifies you first; the claimant does not simply pick. An objection to a phone or agency video appearance must be in writing within 30 days after you receive that notice, and online video requires your written agreement within the same 30 days. You may withdraw an online video agreement any time before the hearing starts. If Social Security schedules a phone hearing, or you agree in writing to online video, you take part from a private location instead of traveling to Clay Street. Our page on disability hearings walks through the hearing itself.
Local treatment records
Medical Records From Highland, Kaiser Permanente and Alta Bates Summit
Alameda Health System (Highland Hospital): the system's patients and visitors page names Highland Hospital, Fairmont Hospital, Alameda Hospital, San Leandro Hospital and John George Psychiatric Hospital. Its Notice of Privacy Practices, effective November 24, 2025, says you can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and that the request must be in writing. The notice states that California law requires access within 5 business days and a copy within 15 days of the request, and that a reasonable, cost-based fee may be charged. Questions go to the Health Information Management Department at 510-437-4460, and for electronic access the page points patients to MyAlamedaHealth.
Kaiser Permanente Northern California: Kaiser's Notice of Privacy Practices, effective February 16, 2026, says requests must be in writing and go to the Kaiser Permanente facility or medical office where you received care, and it lists the Member Service Call Center at 1-800-464-4000 (TTY 711). If you do not know which record holds your information, the notice sends the request to the Director of Privacy & Security Compliance, Kaiser Permanente Ethics & Compliance Office, 1 Kaiser Plaza, 19th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. A reasonable, cost-based fee may apply.
Sutter Health (Alta Bates Summit Medical Center): the state's HCAI listing places Alta Bates Summit Medical Center at 350 Hawthorne Avenue, Oakland, with Sutter Bay Hospitals as the licensee. Sutter's records request page offers an online Medical Record Request form, which asks you to upload a copy of a photo ID, or a Medical Records Authorization form in English, Spanish or Chinese sent by fax to 916-736-5499 or by mail to Sutter Health System Office, PO Box 619091, Roseville, CA 95661. Radiology images have their own Radiology Images Authorization form. The page asks you to allow up to 15 calendar days after Sutter receives a written request and says you will be told in advance of any fees.
County aid and SSI back pay
Alameda County General Assistance and Your SSI Back Pay
Alameda County's General Assistance page describes cash aid to indigent adults and emancipated minors who are legal residents of the county and have no other means of support, and says GA benefits are considered a loan to the people receiving aid. The county's GA regulations, in sections revised January 8, 2019, require every GA applicant and recipient to sign a reimbursement agreement and the Authorization For Reimbursement Of Interim Assistance. An SSI applicant must cooperate with Social Security to remain eligible for GA, and GA is discontinued for a recipient denied SSI for failure to provide necessary information.
That authorization ties the county aid to the federal claim. Social Security's operations manual, POMS SI 02003.001, describes interim assistance reimbursement as a payment Social Security makes to reimburse a state that provided interim assistance, under a written authorization from the individual, out of the SSI retroactive payment. Under 20 CFR 416.1910, the interim assistance agreement requires the state to pay you any excess no later than 10 working days after it receives the repayment, and to give you written notice of the amount repaid, any excess due you, and an opportunity for a hearing if you disagree with its actions on repayment.
The same county page lists SSI Advocacy, described as assistance with the SSI, SSDI and/or CAPI application for low or no income aged, blind and disabled people.
After a denial
Sixty Days From Receipt: Oakland Appeal Deadlines
Deadline
60days
20 CFR 404.909
Reconsideration must be requested within 60 days after you receive notice of the initial determination, under 20 CFR 404.909 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1409 for SSI. A hearing must be requested within 60 days after you receive the reconsideration notice, under 20 CFR 404.933 and 20 CFR 416.1433. Social Security counts the date you receive a notice as 5 days after the date on it, unless you show it did not reach you within that 5-day period, under 20 CFR 404.901 and 20 CFR 416.1401.
A late request can still be accepted for good cause. 20 CFR 404.911 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1411 for SSI list examples, among them a notice you did not receive, records destroyed by fire or other accidental cause and incorrect or incomplete information from Social Security about how to request review. Good cause is not automatic, so file as soon as you can and explain in writing what kept you from filing on time. Our appeals page covers each level in order.
Common questions
Oakland Disability Claim Questions
Can Alameda County recover my General Assistance from SSI back pay?
Yes, for General Assistance paid during the months from your first SSI eligibility through the month SSI payments begin. The county's GA regulations treat GA as a loan and require every applicant to sign the Authorization For Reimbursement Of Interim Assistance, which lets Social Security repay the county from the SSI retroactive payment, not from SSDI back pay. Under 20 CFR 416.1910, any excess goes to you within 10 working days after the repayment is received, with a written notice and a chance for a hearing.
Who receives a Kaiser records request when I am unsure which facility treated me?
Kaiser's Northern California privacy notice directs it to the Director of Privacy & Security Compliance, Kaiser Permanente Ethics & Compliance Office, 1 Kaiser Plaza, 19th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Put the request in writing.
My field office is Hayward or Livermore. Which hearing office is that?
SSA's locator data lists the two as one entry, Hayward/Livermore (merged), under the Oakland hearing office at 1301 Clay Street. Jurisdiction follows your residence address, and the Notice of Hearing names the office handling your case.
How quickly must Highland Hospital provide copies of my chart?
Alameda Health System's privacy notice states that California law requires access within 5 business days and a copy within 15 days of your written request.
Are Alta Bates Summit X-ray and MRI images requested on a separate form?
Yes. Sutter's records request page lists a Radiology Images Authorization form apart from the Medical Records Authorization form, sent by fax or U.S. mail.
Discuss your claim
Talk Through Your Oakland Claim by Phone or Video
Tell us your address, the field office that took your claim and the date on your most recent Social Security notice, and mention any Alameda County General Assistance you receive. We respond within 3 business hours.