Social Security Disability Insurance
Ty Groat is an SSDI lawyer in Abilene, TX who helps people who can no longer work because of a medical condition apply for disability insurance and see the claim through to a decision.
Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, pays monthly Social Security disability benefits to people who can no longer work. To be insured, you must have worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. You paid into it through your paychecks, so your work history matters as much as your medical records.
To qualify, Social Security must find that a physical or mental condition keeps you from doing any substantial work. The condition must last, or be expected to last, at least 12 months in a row, or be expected to result in death. A short recovery from surgery or a broken bone usually does not meet that rule.
Many people in Abilene and across West Texas think they will not qualify because they can still do small tasks at home. Social Security asks whether you can keep up with a job day after day. An SSDI lawyer in Abilene, TX can tell you how that test applies to you before you decide.
Some people file on their own and are approved. Many others run into trouble that a careful review could have caught early. Talking with an SSDI lawyer in Abilene, TX makes sense when:
A denial is not the end of a claim. Social Security gives you 60 days from the day you receive a decision to ask for the next level of review. If you are past the first decision, a disability appeal lawyer in Abilene, TX can guide you through reconsideration and hearings.
What Working With Us Looks Like
A disability claim is decided on paper, by people who never meet you. Our job is to make the file match the life you are living. That means records and statements that show what your condition keeps you from doing.
Ty Groat handles each claim from the first talk to the final decision. You hear from the office as the claim moves forward, so you always know what comes next.
You come to the office in San Angelo and talk through your health, your work history and what has changed. We review whether SSDI, SSI or both may fit your situation. We also discuss payment arrangements at this first meeting, so there are no surprises later.
We collect records from your doctors, clinics and hospitals and read them closely. Gaps in treatment, missing test results and vague notes are flagged early, while there is still time to fill them.
Social Security wants to know what you can and cannot do in a workday: how long you can sit, stand, lift or focus. We prepare evidence of those limits and work with your doctors so their opinions answer the questions the agency asks.
We prepare the application and supporting forms with care. Answers given early in a claim are read again at every later stage, so consistent, accurate answers protect your credibility from the start.
While Social Security reviews your claim, we answer its requests, keep your file current and keep you informed. If the answer is a denial, we talk through the appeal options with you right away.
Strong medical evidence is the center of every SSDI claim. Social Security relies on test findings, treatment history and statements from the people who treat you. A diagnosis alone is rarely enough. What matters is how the condition limits your ability to work day after day.
Our disability application help starts with a review of your medical records. We look for details that support your claim, such as imaging results, medication side effects and notes about pain, fatigue or missed days. We also look for what is missing, like a recent visit or a doctor's opinion about your limits.
When the record needs more, we coordinate with your doctors. Where a case calls for it, we also work with vocational professionals who can speak to the jobs your limits rule out. The goal is a file that tells one clear story from start to finish.
Health coverage is one of the most important parts of an SSDI approval. Under federal rules, people entitled to SSDI also become eligible for Medicare after a 24 month qualifying period. Those months are counted from the start of your benefit entitlement, not from the day you applied.
There is also a waiting period for the cash benefit. Social Security generally requires five full calendar months from the date your disability began before entitlement can start. Together, these rules mean the onset date has a real effect on when your checks and your coverage begin.
We help you understand your Medicare eligibility and how the onset date is chosen. Careful medical evidence about when your condition became disabling can make a real difference. Questions about Medicare with SSDI are part of every stage of the claim.
Many people want to return to some kind of work if their health allows. Social Security has rules that let you test your ability to work without losing benefits right away. Knowing them before you take a job can protect your claim.
One of these rules is the trial work period. During the first nine months you work within a rolling five year period, you can keep full benefits no matter how much you earn. That includes Medicare once its waiting period has passed. You must report your work to Social Security and still have a disabling condition.
Working while on disability without reporting it can lead to overpayments that Social Security later asks you to repay. Ty Groat offers guidance on working while receiving benefits. You can then make a plan with a clear view of the rules before you start.
Cost is a fair question for anyone who has stopped working. Federal rules govern what a representative can charge for work on a Social Security claim. Social Security must approve the fee arrangement before a representative may collect a fee.
At the Law Office of Ty Groat, payment arrangements are discussed openly at the first meeting. You will know how fees work before you decide to move forward with an SSDI lawyer in Abilene, TX. The office stays transparent about it throughout the case.
Several things affect the work a claim needs. These include the number of conditions, how many providers hold your records, and whether it is a first application or a denied claim. A claim that needs a hearing takes more preparation than one approved early, and we explain what that means as it develops.
Why Clients Choose Ty Groat
Ty Groat has been licensed to practice law in Texas since December 2009 and opened his firm in January 2018. He earned his bachelor's degree in Government and Mathematics at Angelo State University and his law degree at St. Mary's University School of Law. He brings over a decade of experience to every claim.
The firm is locally owned and operated. You work directly with the attorney handling your claim, backed by a friendly staff who know your file. Full service case management means one office tracks your records, deadlines and letters from Social Security.
Clients choose a local SSDI lawyer in Abilene, TX because the work is responsive and transparent. Calls are returned, questions are answered in plain language, and you are never left guessing where your claim stands.
Ty GroatAttorney 
SSDI is earned through work of every kind, from ranch labor, oil field jobs and trucking to health care, retail and office work. What qualifies a claim is not the job you held. It is whether a medical condition now keeps you from any substantial work.
As an SSDI lawyer in Abilene, TX, Ty Groat represents clients across the region, and clients meet with him at the office in San Angelo. People come from towns such as Sweetwater, Ballinger and Brady, and from across the Concho Valley. Learn more about our work as a disability lawyer in Abilene, a disability lawyer in San Angelo, a disability lawyer in Sweetwater and a disability lawyer in Ballinger.
SSDI is one part of the firm's disability practice. If your income and savings are limited or your work history is short, read about our SSI lawyer in Abilene, TX services, or see all of our Social Security practice areas.
Your condition must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 months in a row, or be expected to result in death. Social Security also must find that it keeps you from doing any substantial work. A temporary injury that should heal within a year usually does not qualify, even if it keeps you out of work for several months.
Social Security generally requires a waiting period of five full calendar months from the date it finds your disability began before entitlement can start. That is why the onset date matters. Medical records showing when your condition became disabling can affect how far back your benefits reach and when your first payment arrives.
People entitled to SSDI become eligible for Medicare after a 24 month qualifying period, counted from the first month of disability benefit entitlement rather than from the application date. Some conditions are treated differently under federal rules. We review your situation so you understand when Medicare with SSDI should begin for you.
Work you do while a claim is pending is reviewed closely, because earnings above Social Security's substantial work level can lead to a denial. Some limited work may not end a claim, but it must be reported and explained. Talk with us before taking a job so your work activity and your medical evidence tell the same story.
The most helpful records show ongoing treatment and describe what you cannot do, not only your diagnosis. Test results, imaging, notes from each treating doctor, medication history and a doctor's opinion about your limits all carry weight. We review your records, flag gaps, and coordinate with your doctors to document your functional limitations clearly.
Start Your Claim
Every month without income makes the bills harder to pay. Every month without the right records makes a claim harder to prove. A conversation now can tell you whether SSDI fits your work history, what evidence your claim still needs, and how to avoid the mistakes that slow claims down.
Call the Law Office of Ty Groat at (325) 659-2305, Monday to Thursday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and Friday, 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Meetings are held at the office at 1002 S Koenigheim St Ste B, San Angelo, TX 76903.
Call the office: (325) 659-2305
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