welcome to county office your ultimate guide to local government services and public records let's get started will Social Security and Medicare be affected by a government shutdown during a government shutdown many federal services are impacted but Social Security and Medicare are treated differently these programs are categorized as null mandatory spending null which means they are funded through laws that do not require annual Appropriations from Congress Social Security Social Security benefits including retirement and disability payments continue uninterrupted during a government shutdown this is because these benefits are paid from trust funds that are separate from the federal government's general fund payment continuity Social Security checks and disability payments will be sent out on schedule even if the government shuts down applications and appeals people can still apply for Social Security benefits request appeals and make changes to their accounts during a shutdown hearings most hearing officers will continue to hold Social Security disability and SSI hearings although new hearings might not be scheduled and decisions may be delayed until the shutdown ends however some non-essential Services may be paused these include benefit verifications earnings record Corrections and certain administrative activities Medicare Medicare like Social Security is a mandatory spending program and is not affected in the same way as discretionary spending programs here's how Medicare is impacted continued benefits Medicare benefits will continue allowing beneficiaries to receive Medical Care Hospital services and fill prescriptions without interruption enrollment enrollment in Medicare remains available through the Social Security Administration which handles enrollment processes Staffing and Services about 51% of the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services CMS staff would be furloughed leading to potential delays in services such as longer wait times for contacting Medicare representatives and delayed payments to Health Care Providers despite these potential delays essential services like making payments to healthc care providers and maintaining critical health programs will continue administrative delays while the core benefits of social security and Medicare remain intact some administrative Services may be impacted Medicare card replacement replacement of lost Medicare cards might be delayed until the shutdown ends wait times longer wait times can be expected when contacting Medicare or Social Security Representatives due to reduced Staffing both Social Security and Medicare benefits are secure during a government shutdown because they are funded through mandatory spending programs while some administ ative Services may experience delays core benefits continue uninterrupted to learn more check out these links which you can click in the description below and feel free to comment your questions we're here to help thanks for tuning in to our video please like And subscribe and leave a comment below see you in the next video [Music]