Killeen Legal Help for Social Security Disability, Estate Planning and Probate
After serving as a JAG legal assistance officer at Fort Hood, Ted Smith opened his Killeen practice in 1976 and has served Central Texas families for decades.
Free consultations, no fee until the firm recovers. Car crashes, truck accidents, and serious injuries.
From Fort Hood to Killeen
A Killeen practice built on Fort Hood service.
Ted Smith served as an active-duty Army JAG legal assistance officer with III Corps at Fort Hood before opening his law office in Killeen in 1976. That order matters. Before he ever drafted a will or filed a disability claim for a paying client, he spent his days helping soldiers and their families sort out the same kinds of problems: powers of attorney before a deployment, a will before a field rotation, a landlord dispute, a benefits question nobody at the unit could answer. Killeen has grown and changed around the office over that half-century, from a small post town into a full Central Texas city, but the practice has stayed put on the same corridor, close enough to Fort Hood, Harker Heights, and Copperas Cove for those clients to reach without a long drive.
Where Killeen legal matters actually get decided
The right office or courthouse, not just the right lawyer.
Killeen has no probate court or Social Security hearing office of its own. Bell County probate files with the County Clerk in Belton and is heard in the Bell County courts at law; SSD claims route through the regional SSA system, with appeal hearings before an SSA judge. The paperwork has a specific destination with its own deadlines and forms, and knowing that destination is most of what keeps a case moving.
What happens after a Killeen disability claim is filed.
Most SSDI and SSI claims are denied the first time, usually because the medical evidence does not clearly connect a diagnosis to work limitations. The firm helps identify which treating doctors and records support the claim, gets that evidence in front of the right reviewer, and prepares the appeal if a denial comes. The appeal deadline is the first thing checked on any new file, and it works the same whether you come in before filing or with a denial letter in hand.
Estate planning and probate
Wills, trusts, and the trip to Belton.
For planning, the firm works through wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and transfer-on-death deeds in plain language, matched to the family rather than a template. When a death happens, Texas offers more than one probate path: many Bell County families qualify for independent administration, and estates that only need to transfer property may qualify for the shorter muniment of title. Either way the filing goes to the Bell County Clerk in Belton, and the firm prepares and files it with the family.
Fort Hood families
PCS orders, deployment, and benefits that don't wait.
A soldier with PCS orders needs a power of attorney before the move, not after. A deploying family needs to know who can act, sign, and decide while a parent is overseas. Retirees juggling VA disability, SSDI, SGLI, SBP, and TSP need those treated as one connected picture. Ted's JAG background and decades in a post town make these routine conversations here.
Before the first call
What to have ready.
For a disability claim: denial letters, treating doctors, and recent records if easy to gather. For planning: who the beneficiaries are, what property exists, and who the family trusts to act. For probate: the will, a death certificate, and a rough list of property and heirs. Nothing needs to be complete before calling; the first consultation is free and the firm can chase missing records.
Why Central Texas families keep calling
Fifty years in the same community.
The firm has practiced in Killeen since 1976, through base name changes and generations of PCS moves, and holds a 4.6-star rating across more than 500 Google reviews from Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, and Fort Hood-area clients. No firm can promise an outcome; this one offers a local office that has handled this paperwork, these courts, and these family situations for decades.
How we help
Legal help from a Killeen office
No matter if you call it Killeen, Bell County, or Central Texas, Ted calls it home.
Help after serious accidents, medical bills, lost wages, and insurance pressure.
Central Texas community roots
Ted served as a Harker Heights City Council Member, City Attorney, and Chamber of Commerce Chair, and was president of the Killeen Food Care Center from 1987 to 1992. Those civic roles run alongside decades of Killeen legal practice.
1976
Ted Smith has practiced in Killeen since 1976, after Fort Hood JAG service.
“Ted Smith is the best in the area! I can't say enough good things. The whole office cares about their clients and make sure your case is taken care of swiftly and done perfectly.”
“I used Ted Smith Law group to probate my wife's estate. Ted Smith and Barbie King were absolutely terrific in supporting my Probate case. They far exceeded my support expectations.”
“The Ted Smith Law group helped me with my SSDI case. It was a lengthy process and they were there all the way through. They kept me up to date on what was needed to be done and documents that needed to be completed.”
Do I have to go to Belton for a Killeen probate case?
Bell County probate filings go through the Bell County Clerk and county courts, which sit in Belton. The firm handles the filing and courthouse steps and keeps clients informed along the way, so a family isn't left guessing what happens next.
Which Social Security office handles a Killeen disability claim?
Claims filed from the Killeen area go through the regional SSA field office system, and appeals are heard by an SSA administrative law judge at the assigned hearing office. The firm helps clients understand which office is handling their file and what that office is asking for.
I'm PCSing out of Fort Hood soon. Can I still get a power of attorney signed in time?
Deployment and PCS timelines are exactly why the firm treats these documents as urgent. Call as soon as orders come in so a power of attorney, and any other documents the move requires, can be signed before you leave.
What's the difference between independent administration and muniment of title in Texas probate?
Independent administration appoints an executor with reduced court supervision and works for most cooperative families with a valid will. Muniment of title skips appointing an executor entirely and is used when the only goal is transferring real property and there are no debts to settle. Which one fits depends on the estate.
Does Ted Smith Law Group handle family law?
The firm's current focus is Social Security Disability, estate planning, probate, and personal injury. Call the office to discuss whether your situation fits the firm's current practice areas.
Is the first consultation really free?
Yes. Call or text (254) 690-5688 to set up a free consultation and talk through your Social Security Disability, estate planning, or probate question.
Start with the Killeen office.
Call or text the Killeen office and the team will get back to you, usually within one business day.
Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
