Start the process ASAP. With an attorney with good recommendations from others.
EDIT: AARP link because it was the least biased piece of info I could find on the topic that wasn't a lead or referral generator: https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-an...
LA would be hard, I feel for you.
Any suggestion on advocacy programs? I am in the Midwest if that helps.
I know that this depends on specific impairments, but have you found ways to do things you enjoy? This is the hardest thing for me right now: I don’t want to spend the rest of my life watching TV.
Maybe you want to pursue a creative endeavor. Piano, art, and game development (albeit at a very slow pace and intermittently) have been helpful for me.