Applying for Social Security Disability benefits can be difficult no matter where you live. Getting an approval for your claim can be especially difficult if you live in Texas. Even if you are approved for benefits, Texas is known for being tough on their continuing disability reviews. If you are initially denied benefits, you can appeal the decision. This can involve several steps. In fact, most claims which are approved are accepted during the third step, the hearing before an administrative law judge.
Most Social Security disability cases take a significant time to process. Nationally, the average claimant waits 349 days for a hearing. In Texas, things are run a bit more efficiently, with an average wait time of 277 days. Texas’ approval rates (33%) for initial claims are slightly higher than the national average (32%), but they are less likely to approve ongoing benefits. The average hearing approval rates and processing times vary from office to office. Nationally, about 58% of the hearing cases are approved. The hearing approval rate and the processing for each Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) office in TX are listed below:
| Hearing Office | Approval Rate | Processing Time in Days |
| Dallas Downtown | 40.9% | 348 |
| Dallas North | 47.6% | 306 |
| Fort Worth | 49% | 278 |
| Houston North | 54% | 242 |
| Houston-Bissonnet | 38.2% | 270 |
| Rio Grande Valley | 48.4% | 196 |
| San Antonio | 41.8% | 403 |
As of the time of this writing, there are 101 administrative law judges in Texas. They are distributed as follows: 19 in Downtown Dallas, 20 in North Dallas, 10 in Fort Worth, 11 in North Houston, 17 in Houston-Bissonnet, 7 in Rio Grande Valley, and 17 in San Antonio. Local Social Security lawyers will be familiar with the administrative law judges in their areas and how they conduct their hearings. Having a lawyer who is familiar with the ALJ assigned to your hearing is to your advantage. Click on one of the cities below for more information on hiring an attorney in your area.
- Abilene
- Allen
- Amarillo
- Atascocita
- Austin
- Baytown
- Beaumont
- Brownsville
- Bryan
- Carrollton
- Cedar Park
- College Station
- Corpus Christi
- Dallas
- Denton
- Edinburg
- El Paso
- Flower Mound
- Fort Worth
- Garland
- Grand Prairie
- Harlingen
- Houston
- Irving
- Killeen
- Laredo
- League City
- Longview
- Lubbock
- McAllen
- McKinney
- Mesquite
- Midland
- Mission
- Missouri City
- North Richland Hills
- Pasadena
- Pearland
- Plano
- San Angelo
- San Antonio
- Sugar Land
- Temple
- Waco
To receive a free consultation with a Social Security disability attorney in your region of Texas, simply fill out the evaluation form included on this page. In fact, your lawyer will not charge you unless and until you are approved for Social Security disability benefits.
For more on disability benefits in Texas, see our page on How To Qualify For Disability Benefits In Texas.
