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Social Security news
Curated daily from official SSA channels and trusted independent sources. Each item links out to the original.
Articles
Getting a $90 Check? It’s the Medicare Rebate
A surprise $90 payment from Social Security this month is most likely real — a one-time Medicare rebate to offset your October Part B premium, sent to 20M+ enrollees. Here's who gets it, when, and how to tell it apart from the scams that impersonate it.
Bill: Full Retirement at 60 for Physical Jobs
A new bill, the Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 10608), would let workers in physically demanding jobs — construction, roofing, nursing, manufacturing, HVAC — claim their full benefit at 60 instead of 67. It's a proposal, not law. Here's what it would do.
Audits: SSA Underpaid Some Disabled Beneficiaries
Two new OIG audits found SSA didn't always pay disabled beneficiaries and their families everything they were owed — an estimated $27.9M to families on the retirement family maximum, and $1.2M in disabled-adult-child claims. Here's what to check and how to ask for a review.
Trump Proposes Mandatory Prison for Benefits Fraud
President Trump has called on Congress to set mandatory minimum prison terms for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security fraud. It's a proposal, not current law, and it doesn't affect honest beneficiaries. Here's what it would do and what the law already is.
Social Security Paper Checks Are Ending: What to Do
Social Security is phasing out paper checks under a 2025 federal order. If you still get a mailed check, you'll need direct deposit or a Direct Express® card to keep getting paid. Here's how to switch, the limited waiver, and the scams to watch for.
Social Security Survivor Benefits: Who Gets What
Survivor benefits pay monthly income to a deceased worker's family — a spouse from age 60, children, sometimes parents. A new bipartisan bill would finally let survivors apply online. Here's who qualifies, how much they get, and how to claim without costly delay.
New Rule for Evaluating Disability in Young Adults
Social Security's new rule, SSR 26-2p, effective October 1, 2026, clarifies how it evaluates disability for young adults (roughly 18–25) — leaning on school, medical, and functional evidence when work history is thin. Here's what changes and how to prepare.
Got a Social Security Overpayment Notice? What to Do
If Social Security says it overpaid you and wants the money back, you can appeal, request a waiver, or ask for a smaller repayment — and a recent audit found many of these notices were flawed. Here are your options and the deadlines that protect you.
What Is SSI? Plus $291M in Unpaid Benefits Found
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based benefit for people who are 65+, blind, or disabled with limited income — and a new audit found SSA failed to pay about $291 million owed to recipients and survivors. Here's what SSI is and how to check if you're owed.
Is SSDI Taxable? The Marriage Penalty, Explained
About a third of disability beneficiaries pay tax on their benefits — and married couples get hit sooner, because the thresholds are lower combined than for two singles and haven't been raised since the 1980s. Here's how SSDI taxation works and why the gap widens every year.
Should You Laminate Your Social Security Card?
The government warns against laminating your Social Security card — it can hide the security features offices use to verify it. It's not illegal, but here's why to skip it, what to do if yours is already laminated, and how to replace or protect the card for free.
Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme? What's True and Not
The 'Ponzi scheme' label is a recurring talking point, and it rests on one real resemblance: today's workers fund today's retirees. But Social Security is legal, transparent, and adjustable by law — and what actually threatens it is demographics, not fraud. A neutral explainer.
Retiring on Social Security: How Far It Goes by State
Social Security replaces only about 40% of a middle earner's income — and the savings gap it leaves swings enormously by state, from cost-of-living 17% below average in Oklahoma to 86% above in Hawaii. Here's a map, the gap math, and how to size your own number.
The Social Security 2100 Act: What It Would Change
House Democrats' flagship bill (H.R. 9519) would boost every check, tie COLAs to seniors' actual costs, create a $1,663 minimum benefit, and cut taxes on benefits — funded by taxing income above $400,000. It's a bill with long odds, not a coming raise. Here's what's actually in it.
Which States Tax Social Security in 2026? Just 8 Left
Only 8 states tax Social Security benefits for 2026 — and every one exempts large groups of retirees. West Virginia's tax ended January 1, completing its phase-out. Here's the state-by-state map, plus the two caveats that matter more than the headline.