Lone Star Legal Aid Helps 20-year-old Reinstate Disability Income Benefits He Had Relied On For Sixteen Years Before Being Cut Off

Morgan is a 20-year-old diagnosed with ADHD, Autistic Disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, depression, and seizures. He was employed at Walmart, Sears, and Home Depot as a maintenance man, placing work orders, stocking, and unloading furniture. He failed to meet production demands which caused him stress and anxiety and eventually lost focus of his work tasks. He was later fired for poor performance.

Morgan also started to suffer from seizures and was admitted to the hospital after experiencing severe seizures from a possible mental breakdown. Since his admission, he had been having seizures daily according to his mother. 

Morgan told Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) he had been on Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) since he was four years-old because of his diagnoses. He received a letter from the Social Security Administration about ending his SSDI because they no longer believed him to be disabled. 

LSLA Staff Attorney Channing Guidry assumed responsibility for his case on appeal and instructed Morgan to complete documents related to his disability in anticipation of an Administrative Hearing. These documents included information about his work background, ability to perform various jobs, and letters from his counselor detailing any intellectual disorder and limitations related to employment.

The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) provided an additional 21 days to submit the doctor’s statements regarding the length of his issues since the seizures were recent, in addition to his original case regarding Autism. During reconsideration, the ALJ had to decide how serious his Autism is. The ALJ would also consider other problems and how long they had been going on. 

After the hearing, Morgan’s mother received a call from the ALJ to inform her that he issued a Notice of Favorable Decision and that Morgan would continue receiving benefits without interruption. 

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the client(s). 

Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.

Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org