The U.S. government is facing the prospect of yet another shutdown as lawmakers wrangle over a temporary funding bill. That's leaving many people wondering how Social Security would be affected if the federal government shuts its doors.
Fortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is one of the government agencies that has put together detailed contingency plans outlining the services that it would continue (and pause) in case of a shutdown. In their missive laying out its plan the agency said:
“We will continue activities critical to our direct-service operations and those needed to ensure accurate and timely payment of benefits. We will cease activities not directly related to the accurate and timely payment of benefits or not critical to our direct-service operations.”
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So, one thing is clear — even if the U.S. government shuts down, you will continue to receive your Social Security checks and disability payments. The reason that Social Security payments will continue is that they are considered "mandatory spending," and they are funded under a trust, which is not part of the annual appropriations process.
Social Security services that would not be affected
Services that the SSA say it plans to continue include:
- Payment of Social Security checks
- Applications for benefits
- Requests for appeals
- Reconsiderations
- Payee changes
- Direct contact reinstatement of benefits
- Issuance of original and replacement Social Security cards
- Initial claims, , including terminally ill, compassionate allowances, quick disability determinations, dire need, and wounded warriors
- Assistance requests for hearings
Social Security services that would be paused
During a shutdown, the SSA would be partially closed — with about 8,103 of its 59,058 workers furloughed.
Services that are not directly related to payment benefits and those not critical to direct-service operations would stop until the government reopens, the SSA said. If the shutdown lasted more than five days, the SSA would re-evaluate the number of employees necessary to perform critical operations, as it did during the 2013 shutdown.
According to the SSA, services that are set to be paused should a shutdown occur include:
- Benefit verifications
- Earnings record corrections and updates
- Payee accountings
- Prisoner activities — suspension
- Requests from third parties for queries
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests
- IT enhancement activities, public relations, and training
- Replacement Medicare cards
- Overpayments processing
Using an online Social Security account during a shutdown
One way to continue to access your information and avoid long wait times on the phone is to use an online Social Security account. Known as a my Social Security account, it can help you if you are still working or currently claiming benefits. You can take care of a number of tasks including requesting a replacement Medicare card, print proof of Social Security benefits and repay overpayments, some of the services typically not offered during a shutdown. Plus, it’s a good way to protect against Social Security fraud.
After you’ve set up your my Social Security account, you'll be able to review your earnings history, calculate an estimate of your future benefits and file for Social Security and Medicare benefits.
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