Social Security: Will checks continue to be sent if the government shutdown?

With Congress – again – headed towards a budget stalemate, time is ticking before a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Congress must pass 12 appropriation bills that fund federal agencies before the new fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. Failure to do so means a government shutdown, the furlough of thousands of government workers and an abrupt stop to many federal services.

But what about Social Security? What will happen to the benefits for some 66 million Social Security recipients?

Payments for Social Security will continue even if the federal government shuts down. According to CNN, the reason stems from the source of the money – a trust fund that’s not part of the annual appropriations process.

“The bottom line is Social Security payments still go out even during a government shutdown,” Jason Fichtner, chief economist at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former acting deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration, told CNN.

Social Security field offices and call centers will remain open. Applications for benefits, requests for appeals and issuance of original and replacement Social Security cards will also continue.

The agency won’t go unscathed, however. According to shutdown plans Social Security sent to the Office of Management and Budget, some 8,512 of its 61,869 employees will be furloughed during a shutdown. The remaining will be exempt and stay on the job though the letter said those figures could change if a shutdown lasts more than five days.

Some activities will be discontinued, the letter notes, including benefits verifications, corrections on earning records, payee accounting, Freedom of Information Act requests, replacement of Medicare cards and overpayment processing.