Alex has lived with significant medical challenges for most of his life. He suffers from a kidney disorder, insulin-dependent diabetes, a learning disability, and severe depression. He cannot walk without a walker or wheelchair, and requires frequent hospital visits each year. Diagnosed with diabetes at age six, Alex’s health continued to decline into adulthood, and he was later diagnosed with depression at 18.
Because Alex is unable to speak, his mother, Diane, communicates on his behalf. She reads his cues—whether through crying, eye contact, or squeezing her hand—to understand when he is in pain. But while managing her son’s care, Diane faced another devastating setback: Alex’s Social Security Income (SSI) benefits were suddenly terminated.
Confused and overwhelmed, Diane turned to Lone Star Legal Aid’s Public Benefits Unit. Staff Attorney Channing Guidry stepped in to help the family fight the wrongful decision. “Diane was under enormous stress,” Guidry said. “She is a single mother, managing her own dialysis treatments twice a week, while also carrying the weight of caring for her son.”
The case quickly grew complicated. Without notifying Diane, Alex’s father filed paperwork with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)—something he had no legal authority to do. The ALJ moved forward with the case, disregarding the hearing Diane and Guidry had requested. Guidry appealed, noting that the judge failed to provide proper notice and denied the opportunity to present evidence and cross-examine a psychologist whose findings were used against Alex.
Although the initial ALJ hearing resulted in an unfavorable ruling, Guidry persisted. He argued that Alex’s condition had not improved—and in fact had worsened—and that his inability to communicate or care for himself should have made his eligibility for SSI clear. Guidry appealed to the SSA Appeals Council, which agreed and remanded the case for a new hearing.
At the second hearing, Guidry represented Alex again—and this time, the outcome was favorable. Alex’s SSI benefits were fully restored, and he received back pay for the period when his benefits had been wrongfully cut off.
“The client’s mother was in tears when we won,” Guidry recalled. “She hugged me and kept saying how grateful she was. This was a complex case, and there is no way the family could have navigated it on their own. I’m just glad they had a place like LSLA to call. Without that, Alex could have lost everything.”
With his benefits reinstated, Alex now has the support he needs to manage his medical conditions, while Diane can focus on caring for her son without the added fear of losing his vital assistance.
*Name(s) have been changed to protect the client’s identity.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income 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. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org