Disability Lawyer Serving in Robstown, Texas

Robstown and San Patricio County residents who can no longer work because of a disability have the right to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits through the federal government. At the Law Office of Kathleen L. Day, we represent claimants in Robstown and throughout the Coastal Bend. Our team prepares and files your disability claim from start to finish, and we stick with you through every stage until your claim is resolved. Call us at (361) 888-4342 for a free case review. 

SSD and SSI Claims in Robstown — What San Patricio County Workers Need to Know 

San Patricio County claimants file their disability applications with the SSA, which routes them to the Texas Disability Determination Services (DDS) for an initial medical review. If the initial claim is denied and a hearing is requested, cases from Robstown and San Patricio County are heard through the following Office of Hearing Operations (OHO): San Antonio Hearing office is located at 10222 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78216; phone number (855) 829-8915, and Corpus Christi located at 3801 S. Port Ave. Corpus Christi, TX 78415; Phone number (866)-613-2859. San Patricio county does not have its own hearing office, so your case is routed to the San Antonio or Corpus Christi offices. The average wait time is 8-12 months.    

Knowing which hearing office handles your case matters. Wait times, scheduling practices, and how judges in that office weigh vocational expert testimony all affect your preparation strategy. Our team is familiar with the SSA hearing process throughout South Texas and prepares every client for what to expect before they ever set foot in a hearing room. 

The nearest SSA field office for Robstown and San Patricio County residents is: 1000 MEDICAL CTR BLVD ALICE, TX 78332 and 3801 S PORT AVE CORPUS CHRISTI, TX 78415.  

San Patricio County disability claim data: 

Initial applications are denied at roughly %65. Approval rates for reconsideration is roughly 10-15%, and the hearing level approval rate is roughly 45-58%.   

Two federal programs provide monthly benefits to people who can no longer work because of a disability. Understanding which one applies to your situation is the first step. 

SSDI: For Workers Who Have Paid Into Social Security 

Social Security Disability Insurance pays monthly benefits to workers who become too disabled to hold a job, funded by the Social Security taxes you paid throughout your career. To qualify, you need enough work credits accumulated through years of covered employment, and your condition must prevent you from performing Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), which is $1,690/month. If you've worked in agriculture, oil-field operations, or manufacturing in the Coastal Bend, you've likely built the work history SSDI requires. Medicare eligibility follows after 24 months of receiving benefits. 

Your Date Last Insured (DLI) is a deadline many Robstown claimants don't realize exists. The DLI is the date your SSDI coverage effectively expires based on when you last worked and paid into Social Security. If you've stopped working due to disability but delayed applying, contact us now. The earlier we review your case, the more options we can protect. 

SSI: For Those Who Need Benefits Regardless of Work History 

Supplemental Security Income is a need-based program with no work history requirement. If your income and assets fall below SSA's limits (assets of $2,000 for an individual and income of $1,690/month), SSI provides monthly benefits regardless of your employment background. For San Patricio County residents who worked in the informal agricultural economy or have limited work credits, SSI is often the right path. Medicaid eligibility typically follows automatically upon SSI approval. We evaluate both programs for every client during the free case review. 

Learn more about Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and what the eligibility requirements mean for workers in the Coastal Bend. 

How Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Oil-Field Workers in Robstown Qualify for Disability 

The work that drives San Patricio County's economy, farming, oil-field operations, and industrial manufacturing, demands physical capability. When a serious medical condition ends that career, the SSD system can provide the financial lifeline your family needs. Here's the thing: SSA doesn't just ask whether you're sick. It asks whether your condition prevents you from doing any substantial work, and the evidence you need to prove that depends heavily on what kind of work you've done. 

Agricultural Workers: Back, Joint, and Respiratory Conditions 

Farm and ranch labor in San Patricio County involves decades of repetitive heavy lifting, equipment operation, and outdoor exposure. The physical toll maps directly to SSA's musculoskeletal Listings. Back and spine disorders including herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis are evaluated under Listing 1.15 (disorders of the skeletal spine) and Listing 1.18 (abnormality of a major joint). When these conditions prevent sustained lifting, standing, or walking, the Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) assessment becomes the battleground. An RFC that limits you to sedentary work, combined with your age and work history, can determine the outcome of your entire claim. 

Pesticide and herbicide exposure over years of agricultural work can also cause respiratory conditions evaluated under Listing 3.02 for COPD, or cardiovascular conditions from heat exposure and physical exertion. We gather treating physician records, specialist opinions, and functional assessments that connect your work history to the specific SSA criteria that apply to your condition, not just a diagnosis on a page. 

Oil-Field Workers: Traumatic Injury, Toxic Exposure, and Neurological Conditions 

Oil-field work in the Coastal Bend carries one of the highest injury rates of any occupation. Traumatic injuries including back and spine damage from equipment accidents or repetitive strain are evaluated under Listing 1.15 and 1.18. Chemical and toxic exposure from petroleum products, hydrogen sulfide, and industrial solvents can cause respiratory conditions under Listing 3.02 or 3.03, and neurological damage evaluated under the Listing 11.xx range for peripheral neuropathy and related conditions. PTSD from industrial accidents is evaluated under Listing 12.15. 

The RFC documentation in oil-field injury cases is often the deciding factor. SSA's examiner may receive medical records that document a diagnosis without capturing how that injury limits your ability to sit, stand, concentrate, or complete a full workday. Our team works with your treating physicians to close that gap before the record goes to a DDS examiner or an ALJ. 

Manufacturing Workers: Repetitive Stress and Industrial Hearing Loss 

Manufacturing plant workers in San Patricio County often develop cumulative trauma conditions that don't appear on an imaging study but are real and disabling. Repetitive stress injuries and cumulative trauma affecting major joints are evaluated under Listing 1.18. Industrial hearing loss from sustained noise exposure is evaluated under Listing 2.10. Both conditions require careful documentation of functional limitations, not just a diagnosis, and both are frequently under-documented in the medical records SSA receives at the initial application stage. We identify those gaps before the application is filed, not after the first denial. 

Your ALJ Hearing and the OHO Office That Handles San Patricio County Cases 

The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing is where most disability cases are ultimately decided. For San Patricio County claimants, hearings are handled through: San Antonio Hearing office is located at 10222 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78216; phone number (855) 829-8915, and Corpus Christi located at 3801 S. Port Ave. Corpus Christi, TX 78415; Phone number (866)-613-2859. San Patricio county does not have its own hearing office, so your case is routed to the San Antonio or Corpus Christi offices. The average wait time is 8-12 months.    

Whether your hearing is held in person or by video, preparation is everything. The ALJ will review your complete medical record, ask you questions about your daily limitations, and typically call a vocational expert (VE) to testify about what jobs someone with your RFC could perform in the national economy. VE testimony that overstates your functional capacity is one of the most common reasons otherwise valid claims are denied at the hearing stage. 

Our team cross-examines vocational experts at every hearing. We know the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, SSA's Grid Rules, and how to expose the gaps between a VE's hypothetical jobs and what your medical record actually shows you can do. That preparation starts the day we take your case, not the week before your hearing date. 

If the ALJ denies your claim, you have 60 days to request review by the SSA Appeals Council. If the Council denies review, the final option is a civil action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division. We handle every level. We don't close your file when the process gets harder. 

Learn more about the SSDI and SSI appeals process and what each stage requires. 

Why Robstown and San Patricio County Claimants Work with Attorney Kathleen Day 

Attorney Kathleen L. Day was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1986 and has dedicated her entire professional career to Social Security Disability and SSI advocacy for South Texans. She didn't build a general practice and later add disability cases as a side offering. SSD and SSI work is all she has done, right here in the Coastal Bend, for decades. That level of focus matters when the SSA examiner reviewing your claim is looking for specific medical evidence and your hearing is in front of an ALJ who hears hundreds of cases a year. 

Attorney Liana Gonzales, admitted to the Texas Bar in 1995, works alongside Kathleen Day handling SSD and SSI claims across the region. Together, our team brings decades of dedicated disability practice to every case. 

Both attorneys are members of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR), the professional organization for SSD practitioners whose membership reflects a commitment to this practice area specifically, not general legal practice. We believe in our clients' disability claims. We collect every document, prepare compelling medical evidence and expert diagnostic opinions, and we stick with you until your claim is resolved. 

We believe in our clients' disability claims. The benefits you and your family deserve are what we're here to fight for. 

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.