By Lorie Konish
The Social Security Administration is under new leadership, after financial services executive Frank Bisignano was sworn in as commissioner this week.
Bisignano’s confirmation follows a host of changes at the federal agency during the first 100 days of the Trump administration, many of them through the Department of Government Efficiency.
For the approximate 73 million beneficiaries who rely on monthly Social Security checks, those changes may affect how they receive services from the agency.
From benefit increases for certain pensioners to changing policies on benefit withholdings and customer service, here are some of the biggest shifts of which beneficiaries should take note.
Certain pensioners see benefit increases
The Social Security Fairness Act provides higher monthly Social Security checks for individuals who also receive pensions from work that did not include payment of Social Security payroll taxes. It will also provide lump sum retroactive payments starting from January 2024.
Monthly benefit increases may range from “very little” to “over $1,000 more each month,” according to the Social Security Administration, which began those adjustments in February.
The change affects certain workers such as teachers, firefighters and police officers; federal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System; and people who work under foreign social security programs, according to the agency. Those workers had previously seen their benefits reduced or eliminated due to the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, which have been nixed with the new law.
More from Personal Finance:
* Social Security reduces benefit clawback rate
* Trump administration restarts student loan collections
* What experts say about claiming Social Security benefits early
In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, SSA has paid more than $14.8 billion in retroactive payments to more than 2.2 million individuals, according to the agency.
The agency has expedited the processing of the benefit changes under President Donald Trump. However, it may take a year or more to issue payments for some cases that cannot be processed through automation, according to the agency.
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