Are My Social Security Benefits Affected by the Government Shutdown?

With the government shutdown continuing – and no end in sight – one question that may be on your mind is whether your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will be impacted by the partial shutdown.

The good news is no, if you are currently receiving SSDI or SSI benefits, they will continue to be paid the same way they always have been. The government shutdown does not affect SSDI and SSI benefit checks. Since shutdowns only impact funds that are annually appropriated by Congress, long-term funding typically continues to happen without a hitch. The Social Security fund is one that is funded for the long-term via taxes and long-term investments.

The other good news relating to Social Security is that this time around, there will be no impact to Social Security services or hearings, either. A full year of funding for the Social Security Administration was approved last September, so the Agency does not show any signs of shutting down with some of the other government agencies. This means that all other activities for disability cases, such as the initial application, the reconsideration review, the hearing review, and the Appeals Council reviews, will all operate as normal and the shutdown should not result in any delays to your claim.