Recipients of Social Security benefits usually live on a very tight budget. They usually don’t have the financial backing to be able to live without getting their monthly benefit check. Many recipients of these programs are probably worried about how the current partial government shutdown is going to affect their benefits.
The good news is that there is very little chance that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) checks will be delayed because of the shutdown. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a contingency plan in place for times like this. Unlike some other benefits that people count on, SSD is funded through a combination of long-term investments and taxes.
People who are awaiting a decision about their disability claim might not notice any real impact either. Core functions that have to do with these programs, including appeals and claims, will likely continue. There are some aspects of the SSA that stop when there is a shutdown, but these won’t affect the person’s SSDI or even SSI.
This partial shutdown doesn’t include any furlough for employees who work for the SSA. The agency reached an agreement for a full year of funding in September. Even people who count on VA disability payments won’t be impacted by the shutdown.
If you have any issues that you need to handle with the SSA regarding SSI or SSDI, you still need to meet the time limits that are provided to you with the correspondence you receive. Missing deadlines or not following proper procedures can have a negative impact on your case, so you don’t need to make those types of mistakes.