Denied Disability Claims
A disability appeal lawyer in Abilene, TX can help you challenge a denied Social Security disability claim before your appeal deadline passes. Call the Law Office of Ty Groat at (325) 659-2305 to discuss your denial.
A denial letter from the Social Security Administration is not the final word on your claim. The letter explains why Social Security decided you are not disabled under its rules. That reason is where an appeal starts. A denied disability claim lawyer reads it closely and checks it against your medical records, your work history and the limits you live with every day.
Some denials point to missing records, or to a gap between what your doctors wrote and what you can really do. Others say you can return to past work or adjust to other jobs. Each reason calls for a different kind of proof. An appeal built on the wrong proof can be denied for the same reason twice.
As a disability appeal lawyer in Abilene, TX, Ty Groat represents people through the disability process, from the first appeal through a hearing. The aim is a file that answers each reason head on. It is filed on time and laid out so the person deciding your claim can follow it.
Step by Step
Social Security disability appeals move through up to four levels. You may not need to go through all of them. Each level has its own deadline, generally 60 days from the date you receive the notice of the last decision. As a disability appeal lawyer in Abilene, TX, Ty Groat prepares each stage with the next one in mind.
The first appeal asks for a complete new review of your claim by someone who did not take part in the original decision. New medical records and updated treatment notes can be added at this stage, so the review rests on your current condition.
If reconsideration ends in another denial, you can request a hearing before an administrative law judge who had no part in the earlier decisions. The hearing is your chance to explain your limitations in your own words, with your attorney presenting the evidence.
When the judge denies the claim, you can ask the Appeals Council to review the decision. The council can deny the request, decide the case itself or return it to a judge for further review.
If you disagree with the Appeals Council, or it declines to review your case, the next step is a civil suit in federal district court. Ty Groat explains what that step involves before you decide whether to take it.
The deadline is the first thing to protect after a denial. Social Security generally gives you 60 days after you get a decision notice to ask for an appeal. It assumes you got the notice five days after the date it was mailed. A late appeal needs a written reason and a request for more time, and that extra time is not automatic.
Preserving appeal deadlines is part of the work a disability appeal lawyer in Abilene, TX does from the first meeting. Ty Groat notes the date on your notice, plans the filings around it and tracks each later deadline as the claim moves forward. New medical evidence can then be gathered without putting the appeal itself at risk.
If you already have a denial letter, bring it to the office along with any newer records. The date printed on that letter sets the clock for everything that follows, so an early call leaves more time to build the file.
Building Your Record
Your medical records are the backbone of any appeal. Ty Groat reviews the records already in your file, looks for missing visits, tests or treatment notes, and requests what is needed to fill those gaps. Documentation of every condition matters, including the ones that seemed minor when you first applied.
Records alone do not always show how a condition limits your day, so the office obtains medical opinions when needed and collects statements from people who see your limits firsthand. Together, these pieces give the person deciding your appeal a fuller picture than a stack of charts.
A disability hearing before an administrative law judge lets you speak directly to the person deciding your claim. Preparation starts well before the hearing date. Ty Groat walks you through the questions a judge often asks about your health, your care and your past jobs. You know what to expect and can answer honestly and clearly.
Part of the preparation is evidence of functional limitations: the specific ways your conditions restrict sitting, standing, lifting, concentrating or keeping a regular schedule. Those details matter more than a diagnosis alone, because two people with the same condition can have very different limits.
The judge may also ask about the kinds of work someone with your limits could still do. Coordinating with your doctors and with vocational consultants helps the file answer that question with facts about you, not guesses. Before the hearing, you will know which records are in the file, who may be asked to speak and how your own testimony fits the evidence.
The honest answer is that it varies. Each appeal level takes its own time. The wait depends on the level your claim is at, how complete the file is and how many cases are ahead of yours. No attorney can promise you a decision date.
What you can control is avoiding delays of your own making. Filing each appeal well within the 60-day window, sending updated records as they arrive and answering requests from Social Security promptly all keep the claim moving. A file that is complete when it reaches each level does not sit while missing documents are tracked down.
During the wait, keep seeing your doctors and following your treatment plan. Ongoing care creates new records, and those records show the judge how your condition has continued over time.
Hiring a disability appeal lawyer in Abilene, TX raises a fair question about cost. Social Security must approve the fee a representative charges for work on a disability claim. The amount is not set by the attorney alone, and that step protects you.
The Law Office of Ty Groat discusses payment arrangements at your first meeting, so the terms are clear from the start. You can ask how the fee is calculated, when it would be paid and what happens if your claim needs to go to another appeal level.
Questions about cost should never keep you from protecting a deadline. If your denial letter is already on the table, call the office and set a time to go over it with Ty Groat.
Ty Groat has been licensed to practice law in Texas since December 2009, and he opened the Law Office of Ty Groat in January 2018 after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Mathematics from Angelo State University and a law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law. That is over a decade of legal experience applied to your appeal.
The firm is locally owned and operated and offers full-service case management, so one office handles your appeal from the denial letter through each stage that follows. Communication is responsive and transparent: you know what was filed, what is still needed and what comes next.
Clients meet with Ty Groat at the office at 1002 S Koenigheim St Ste B, San Angelo, TX 76903, open Monday to Thursday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and Friday, 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. A friendly staff answers calls and helps you schedule your visit.
Ty GroatAttorney 
The Law Office of Ty Groat handles disability appeals for clients in Abilene and across West Texas from its office in San Angelo. The firm serves Abilene, where clients can get disability help in Abilene, and towns such as San Angelo and the Concho Valley, Sweetwater and Colorado City and Brady, Menard and Junction.
Ty Groat also helps at the application stage. A claim for disability insurance based on your work record is the work of an SSDI lawyer in Abilene, and a claim based on limited income and resources is the work of an SSI lawyer in Abilene. Both lead back to the same appeal levels when a claim is denied.
The full range of work is listed under the firm's Social Security and traffic practice areas. Wherever you live, the appeal starts the same way: with the denial letter and the date printed on it.
Yes. The first step is usually a request for reconsideration, which asks Social Security to take a complete new look at the claim. You generally have 60 days from the date you receive the denial notice to file it. New medical records can be added, and the review is done by someone who was not part of the original decision.
Not always, but updated evidence often helps. An appeal is a chance to fill gaps the first decision pointed to, such as missing treatment notes or a lack of detail about what you can still do. Recent records, medical opinions from your doctors and statements from people who see your limits every day can all add to the file.
An administrative law judge who had no part in the earlier decisions hears your case. You answer questions about your health, your treatment and your work history, and your attorney presents the medical evidence and any written statements. The judge may also ask about the kinds of work someone with your limitations could do. The decision is sent to you in writing.
You can still ask Social Security to accept a late appeal, but you must explain in writing why you are late and ask for the time limit to be extended. Social Security decides whether to grant that extension. Call the office as soon as you find the notice, so the request can go in with the clearest explanation available.
Yes. The Law Office of Ty Groat offers full-service case management, so one office keeps track of your deadlines, records and filings from reconsideration through the hearing. You work with the same attorney who already knows your medical history, which saves you from explaining your case again at every level.
Protect Your Deadline
Every day after a denial counts against the 60-day window. Bring your denial letter and your recent medical records to a meeting with Ty Groat, your disability appeal lawyer in Abilene, TX and across West Texas, and leave knowing which appeal level you are at, what your file is missing and when the next filing is due. Call (325) 659-2305 Monday to Thursday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, or Friday, 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
Call the office: (325) 659-2305
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