Social Security Disability Lawyer in Austin, Texas

Austin claims begin at a Social Security field office, which takes your application and confirms the non-medical parts of your claim, such as your work credits for SSDI or your income and resources for SSI. Your medical file then goes to Texas Disability Determination Services, the state agency that makes the initial medical decision for SSA. Most first-time applications are denied at this stage - that is normal, and it is not the end of the road.

If your claim is denied, the first appeal is reconsideration, where a different examiner at DDS takes a fresh look at the file. Most reconsiderations are denied too, and the step after that is where things really change: a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. This is where good preparation matters most, and it is where having a representative tends to make the biggest difference. The encouraging part for Austin claimants is that hearings are now commonly held by online video or telephone, so you usually do not have to travel a long distance while you are unwell. Dan prepares the medical evidence, works with your doctors on the functional statements that judges actually rely on, and handles the hearing itself.

Because Austin’s economy spans desks and job sites, the work history behind a claim varies widely. A tech or government worker with a spine or repetitive-strain condition, a nurse whose back gave out after years of lifting patients, and a construction worker who can no longer stand a full shift are all common here - and each calls for a different way of showing why full-time work is no longer possible.

Austin runs on technology, state government, the University of Texas, healthcare, and a long-running construction boom, with a large service and hospitality workforce layered on top. That mix produces very different disability claims. A software or state office worker is more likely to claim repetitive-strain injuries, spine problems from years at a desk, or a mental health condition; a construction, warehouse, or hospitality worker is more likely to claim back, joint, and other musculoskeletal injuries that make standing and lifting impossible.

Not sure where your claim fits? Read about how SSDI works and who qualifies, or about SSI for people with limited income and resources. If you have already been turned down, here is what to do after a denied claim.