Social Security Disability Lawyer in Laredo, Texas

If you are looking for a disability lawyer in Laredo, the Law Office of Kathleen L. Day handles Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims and nothing else. We represent claimants throughout South Texas, including Laredo and Webb County, from our office in Corpus Christi. We do not split our attention between personal injury files or family law cases. Social Security Disability and SSI are all we do. 

Attorney Kathleen Day has been a member of the Texas Bar since 1986 and belongs to the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR), an organization specific to SSD representation that most general practice firms never join. Attorney Liana Gonzales has been a Texas Bar member since 1995. Together, our team has spent decades inside the details of this process: the SSA-3368 forms, vocational expert testimony, and the RFC arguments that turn denied claims into approved ones. Whether you are filing for the first time or facing a hearing after two denials, we are ready to build your case and see it through. Call us at (361) 888-4342 for a free case evaluation. 

SSD Claims in Laredo and Webb County 

Laredo sits at the center of Webb County, one of the busiest ports of entry on the United States and Mexico border, and the local workforce reflects that. Customs and border protection officers, logistics and warehouse workers, truck drivers, construction laborers, and retail employees make up a large share of the people who come to us for help. These are physically demanding jobs. When a back injury, a heart condition, or a progressive illness forces someone to stop working, the SSD system is often the only financial lifeline available. 

Initial SSD applications filed by Laredo residents are reviewed by Texas Disability Determination Services (DDS), the state agency that evaluates medical evidence for the SSA. When an application is denied and a hearing is requested, Webb County cases are typically assigned to the San Antonio Office of Hearing Operations (OHO) for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. Hearings can be held in person or virtually. The average wait time for a hearing is 8-12 months. That geography affects how we prepare your case, and it is one of the things we handle for you. 

Why So Many Laredo Claims Are Denied Initially 

About 65% of SSD applications are denied at the initial level nationally, and that pattern holds in South Texas. The most common reason is not that people do not qualify; it is that the medical record reaching the DDS examiner is incomplete. Records are scattered across multiple clinics, and a treating physician's notes are often too brief to document functional limitations clearly. In Laredo, some claimants have received care on both sides of the border, and records from Mexican providers do not reach the SSA file automatically. We get involved before the application is filed so the record going to DDS tells the full story from the start.

Binational Work History, Work Credits, and the Totalization Agreement 

SSDI eligibility is built on work credits earned through jobs that paid United States Social Security taxes. For some Laredo-area claimants, that creates a specific problem: work performed in Mexico, even for a company affiliated with a United States employer, generally does not generate those credits unless the employer paid into the United States Social Security system. If your work history includes years of employment outside the United States Social Security system, your SSDI work credit total may be lower than you expect, or you may not have enough credits to qualify for SSDI at all. 

The United States and Mexico Totalization Agreement may affect how credits are counted in certain situations. You cannot combine or transfer Mexican work credits for SSDI purposes.  SSI carries no work credit requirement. It is a need-based program available to qualifying residents regardless of work history, which makes it the primary option for claimants whose earnings record is limited by time worked outside the United States system. We evaluate both programs for every client and file for both when the facts support it. [link: /supplemental-security-income] 

Cross-Border Medical Records and Spanish-Language Access 

For Laredo claimants who have been treated in Mexico, getting those records into the SSA file is a step that does not happen on its own. The SSA and Texas DDS request records from the providers listed on your application, and a provider outside the United States system is not contacted the same way a local clinic is. We identify every place you have received care, including cross-border providers, and work to gather and translate the records that document your condition, so your file reflects your complete medical history rather than only the portion the SSA collects by default. 

Language is not a barrier to SSD or SSI eligibility. The SSA provides interpreter services at no cost for hearings and field office appointments, and you have the right to have documents explained to you.

How Laredo Claims Are Routed: Hearing Office and Federal Court 

A Laredo SSD claim moves through several offices, and knowing which one handles each stage helps you understand the timeline. You file your initial claim through the SSA, and the medical decision is made by Texas DDS. If you are denied and request a hearing, your case is assigned to an Office of Hearing Operations for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, typically the San Antonio OHO for Webb County claimants. The average wait time for a hearing is 8-12 months. 

If an Administrative Law Judge issues an unfavorable decision and the Appeals Council declines to overturn it, the final step is a civil action in federal district court. For Laredo and Webb County residents, that case is filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Laredo Division. Federal court review is a different kind of proceeding: the judge does not rehear your case, but reviews the administrative record for legal errors. We handle the Appeals Council stage and federal court litigation rather than sending clients elsewhere when the process reaches its hardest points. [link: /ssdi-and-ssi-appeals] 

How the Law Office of Kathleen L. Day Helps Laredo Claimants 

Social Security Disability and SSI are the only cases we take, and that focus shapes how we prepare. When you work with us, your case is handled by attorneys whose entire professional focus is this one area of law. Attorney Kathleen Day has been a member of the Texas Bar since 1986, and Attorney Liana Gonzales since 1995. Both belong to NOSSCR, the organization specific to disability representation. 

We believe in our clients' disability claims, and that belief shows up in how we build cases. It means gathering compelling medical evidence and expert diagnostic opinions from treating physicians rather than waiting for DDS to request records. It means preparing every RFC argument as if the hearing is next week. And it means staying with you at reconsideration, at the ALJ hearing, at the Appeals Council, and in federal court if that is what it takes. We are right here in South Texas, and we stick with you until your claim is resolved. 

Our fees are contingency-based and regulated by the SSA. You owe nothing unless we win your claim, and the SSA caps the fee of up to 25% of your past-due benefits with a regulated maximum of $9,200. We explain the full arrangement before you commit to anything.

SSD and SSI Essentials 

The points below apply to every Texas SSD and SSI claim. They are collected here for quick reference so the rest of this page can stay focused on what is specific to Laredo. On the published page, render this section as a collapsible accordion or sidebar, not as main-body prose. 

• SSDI vs. SSI. SSDI is an earned benefit funded by the Social Security taxes you paid while working; your benefit is based on your earnings record, and Medicare coverage begins after a 24-month waiting period from SSDI entitlement.  SSI is a need-based program with no work history requirement and strict income and asset limits, and Texas Medicaid eligibility is typically automatic on SSI approval. Assets must not exceed more than $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple/ The average monthly benefit rate is $994.   

• The five-step evaluation. The SSA decides every claim through a five-step sequential evaluation. At Step 1 it asks whether you earn above the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold of $1,690.  Your condition must be expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. 

• The four-stage appeal. Reconsideration, then a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, then Appeals Council review, then federal court. Most approved cases are won at the ALJ hearing. The average wait time is 3-5 months. 

• The 60-day deadline. At each stage you have 60 days from the date of the notice, plus five days for mail, to request the next level.  Missing a deadline usually closes that level of appeal and can force you to file a new application. 

Disclaimer: This page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every disability case is different. For advice about your specific situation, contact a qualified Social Security Disability attorney or representative. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.