Key News You Need to Know

The Social Security program turned 90 in August, and many wonder what the future holds for the program and its beneficiaries. Here is a roundup of important Social Security updates from last month and what they mean for you.

The Social Security Cost-Of-Living Adjustment Is Expected To Increase in 2026

Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026 will be announced this fall. In an early estimate released last month, The Senior Citizens League anticipates the COLA will rise 2.7% in 2026. 

The organization expects the 2026 COLA to be higher this year because of continued inflation. Last year, TSCL accurately predicted that the COLA would be 2.5%. 

What This News Means For You

An increased COLA is positive for Social Security recipients because their benefits reflect rising costs for groceries, medications, and other necessities.

COLA Increases Still Might Not Be Enough For Retirees

While the 2026 COLA is projected to be higher than this year’s, the benefits still might not be enough for many older Americans to live off.

Retirees received an average of $2,006.69 in benefits during July. A 2.7% COLA would raise that average monthly check by roughly $54. 

However, a new survey from Nationwide revealed that 55% of current Social Security recipients said their benefits don’t cover their basic retirement needs. Additionally, 63% said they believe continually rising tariffs will drive inflation beyond what the COLA will cover.

According to The Senior Citizens League research, between 2010 and 2024, COLAs increased recipients’ Social Security benefits by 58%, while inflation increased seniors’ expenses by 73% in the same time frame. 

What This News Means For You

Any COLA increase is good, but if the adjustment doesn’t keep up with the inflation rate, recipients may need to rely on other forms of income.

Social Security Turned 90, and Experts Weighed in on How To Change The Program for the Better

Aug. 14 marked the 90th anniversary of when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. 

This year’s anniversary comes as many Americans fear for the program’s future. Social Security’s spending has exceeded its revenue since 2021. The U.S.’s aging population means that the number of Social Security beneficiaries is growing faster than the number of younger workers who pay into the program, the Congressional Budget Office has found.

Congress’s options for plugging the funding gap would require major changes to the program, which has only been changed about a dozen times since its establishment in 1935.

What This News Means For You

Economists and policy experts are pushing for a reform to Social Security that ensures the program’s sustainability.

They suggest several ways to improve the program’s health: raising the earnings cap, or the maximum amount of an individual’s earnings subject to the Social Security tax each year; increasing payroll taxes by 1% for employers and employees; and implementing a system that automatically adjusts benefits when the program is imbalanced.

The SSA Expedited Benefits For People with 13 New Conditions

The Social Security Administration announced that it will accelerate the benefit application process for people suffering from 13 health conditions.

The conditions have been added to the agency’s Compassionate Allowance (CAL) list. The initiative is intended to expedite the process of obtaining disability Social Security benefits for individuals with the most serious afflictions.

The newly added conditions are:

• Au-Kline Syndrome
• Bilateral Anophthalmia
• Carey-Fineman-Ziter Syndrome
• Harlequin Ichthyosis – Child
• Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
• LMNA-related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
• Progressive Muscular Atrophy
• Pulmonary Amyloidosis – AL Type
• Rasmussen Encephalitis
• Thymic Carcinoma
• Turnpenny-Fry Syndrome
• WHO Grade III Meningiomas
• Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim Syndrome

What This News Means For You

It typically takes three to five months for the SSA to make a disability benefits decision once paperwork is submitted, according to the agency. However, if you have one of the conditions added to the CAL list, you won’t have to wait as long to receive disability benefits.

Most U.S. States Have Lost Social Security Field Office Staff This Year

From March 2024 to March 2025, 46 states and Washington, D.C. experienced a net loss of Social Security field office staff, according to a new analysis by the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), a nonprofit advocacy organization that partners with unions and workers. 

Social Security field offices are local outposts at which beneficiaries and applicants can get in-person assistance with the program. In the latest numbers available from the Social Security Administration, more than 119,000 people visited field offices each day in 2023.

What This News Means For You

These staffing shortages have led to people having to wait longer to apply for benefits, replace identification cards, or get questions answered, according to SOC.