With the federal government shutdown extending into the longest shutdown in American history, Georgia residents who receive Social Security Disability may wonder if the ongoing deadlock in Washington will interfere with their ability to receive benefits. While the shutdown has caused some agencies to place government employees on furlough and limit services, the good news is that the Social Security Administration has not been adversely impacted.
As the Business Insider explains, previous government shutdowns have caused the Social Security Administration to furlough employees and limit some of the agency’s services. However, this past September Congress had passed a bill that fully funded the Social Security Administration through September of 2019. This means that the SSA has the funding to continue its normal operations.
Even in the event that the SSA would be impacted by lack of funding, the agency does have a contingency plan in place to continue operations. Government shutdowns impact government funding that is appropriated each year by Congress, but not other sources of funding such as the long-term investments and taxes that pay into the Social Security trust fund. This enables the SSA to continue to mail Social Security checks, as well as process disability claims and appeals over disability benefits.
While the current shutdown can be concerning to many people, it is no reason to delay pursuing Social Security disability if you have a need for benefits. Proceed as you normally would if there was no government shutdown to apply for disability benefits and be aware of news of any change in the current situation in Washington D.C.
Keep in mind that this article is written only to inform readers about Social Security disability and is not intended to provide any legal advice.
