As all of you are undoubtedly aware, the federal government shut down on October 1, 2025 because Congress and the President could not come to an agreement regarding funding to keep the government open. The early indication is that this may last for some time. Understandably, this creates concern for our clients. Below is the best information available right now about how this might affect clients who are in the process of applying for benefits.

Benefits to Current Claimants

Clients already receiving Social Security, SSI, or SSDI benefits will continue receiving payments without interruption. This has been true in all 20 previous shutdowns since 1976, and disability benefits remain funded as “mandatory spending” outside of congressional appropriations.

Pending Claims and Applications

Hearings: The Social Security Administration (SSA) will hold already scheduled disability hearings.

Initial Applications: State Disability Determination Services will continue processing initial claims, but processing speed may vary because each state controls its own staffing and funding during a lapse. Each state must independently determine whether it can maintain operations (pay its employees) during a federal funding lapse. This could lead to some states processing claims more or less as usual, but others, more affected by the funding lapse, may be processing claims more slowly.

Appeals/Reconsiderations: These will continue but probably with reduced support staff, resulting in extended processing times.

Anticipated Service Disruptions

SSA has furloughed about 6,200 employees out of roughly 51,800. However, about 88% of staff remain working on essential functions. This is higher than in prior shutdowns, which should limit disruption compared to 2013.

What we Expect:

Customer Service: Phone wait times will rise; many calls may go unanswered.

• Field Offices: Field offices will continue taking benefit applications and processing post-entitlement actions that impact payments, but with reduced staffing creating longer waits and limited walk-in availability.
• We are already having problems with field office personnel wrongly refusing to speak to us. NOSSCR (an advocacy group of which I am a member) has communicated this concern to SSA and I expect that this particular issue will be resolved within the next week or two.

Documentation Services: Benefit verification letters, replacement cards (except original and replacement Social Security cards, which will continue), and non-claims-related earnings record corrections will not be processed during the shutdown

Medicare Cards: Replacement Medicare cards will not be issued during the shutdown

Online Services: SSA’s online portal will remain operational, but technical support will be unavailable

Overpayment Processing: Suspended for the duration of the shutdown.

Here is a link to SSA’s contingency plan for the shutdown.

Thanks to my friend and colleague Karl Osterhout and to NOSSCR.org for providing up to date information about the impact of the shutdown on SSA operations.