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    Social Security Administration (SSA)

    Also known as SSA, Social Security

    The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the US federal agency that runs Social Security retirement, survivor and disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income. It pays more than $1.5 trillion a year to more than 72 million people.[1][2][3] It is led by Commissioner Frank Bisignano, who has focused on cutting disability backlogs; in November 2025 he told advocates a planned rule limiting the role of age in disability decisions would not proceed.[4][5][6]

    Editor reviewedStrict sourcingUpdated WikiSocial welfare, Tech policy
    Key facts

    The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the federal agency behind the US Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programmes.[1][2] Its decisions on benefit amounts, disability rules and service levels affect tens of millions of households, and they are often politically contested. This page attributes positions to the people who hold them. It is general information, not legal or financial advice; check SSA directly for your own case.

    Origins

    The Social Security Act of 14 August 1935 created old-age benefits for workers and a Social Security Board to register people, collect contributions and pay benefits.[7] The agency’s headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland.[8]

    Programmes

    SSA pays more than $1.5 trillion a year to more than 72 million Social Security beneficiaries and SSI recipients.[2] Its disability programmes are:

    • SSDI, an insurance benefit for disabled workers below full retirement age, financed by payroll taxes. About 8.1 million people received it in January 2026.[1][9][10]
    • SSI, a means-tested benefit for people aged 65 or older, blind or disabled, financed from general revenues. About 7.4 million people received it in January 2026.[3][11]

    Each year SSA sets a cost-of-living adjustment from CPI-W inflation. It was 2.8% for 2026, and the 2027 figure is expected on 14 October 2026.[12][13][14] The trustees project the combined trust funds can pay full benefits until 2034.[15] See SSDI vs SSI for how the two disability programmes compare.

    Leadership and backlogs

    Frank J. Bisignano, a former Fiserv chief executive, is the 18th Senate-confirmed commissioner.[4] In June 2025 testimony he said the disability claims backlog had fallen for 51 consecutive weeks. He set a target of a 190-day average wait for an initial disability decision by late fiscal 2026, down from more than 230 days.[5]

    Disability rule changes

    SSA decides disability claims using rules that give increasing weight to age from 50 onwards.[16] In 2025 officials worked on a regulation to limit that role. ProPublica and The Washington Post reported it could have cost at least 830,000 mostly older workers their eligibility.[17] In November 2025 Bisignano told advocates the rule would not proceed.[6] SSA’s 2026 rulemaking has included revised criteria for cardiovascular disorders, effective 30 October 2026.[18] Dated developments are in the disability benefits tracker.

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    Questions readers ask

    What does the Social Security Administration do?

    It administers Social Security, which pays retirement, survivor and disability (SSDI) benefits, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). It pays more than $1.5 trillion a year to more than 72 million beneficiaries and SSI recipients.[2][1][3]

    Who runs the SSA?

    Frank J. Bisignano, formerly chief executive and chairman of Fiserv, is the 18th Senate-confirmed Commissioner of Social Security.[4]

    Where is the SSA based?

    Its headquarters is at 6401 Security Boulevard in Baltimore, Maryland.[8]

    When does the SSA announce the COLA?

    The adjustment is based on third-quarter CPI-W inflation. The 2027 COLA is expected on 14 October 2026, after September CPI data are released.[12][14]

    Is Social Security running out of money?

    The trustees project the combined trust funds can pay full benefits until 2034. The retirement fund is projected to be depleted in 2032, while the Disability Insurance fund can pay in full through at least 2099.[15]

    Sources

    · 18 claims from 10 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is part of Social Security (OASDI), the social insurance programme administered by SSA that pays benefits when a worker retires, becomes disabled or dies. SSDI pays monthly benefits to insured workers below full retirement age who have long-term, work-limiting disabilities, and to their eligible spouses and children. confirmedas of 2026-03-13

    2. [2]

      SSA pays more than $1.5 trillion a year to more than 72 million Social Security beneficiaries and SSI recipients, according to Commissioner Bisignano's June 2025 testimony. confirmedas of 2025-06-25

    3. [3]

      Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federal, means-tested programme run by the Social Security Administration that pays monthly cash to people aged 65 or older, blind or disabled who have limited income and assets. It is funded from general tax revenues, not payroll taxes. confirmedas of 2026-02-13

    4. [4]

      Frank J. Bisignano, a former chief executive and chairman of Fiserv, is the 18th Senate-confirmed Commissioner of Social Security. confirmedas of 2025-06-25

    5. [5]

      In June 2025 SSA said it had reduced the initial disability claims backlog for 51 consecutive weeks and expected to cut the wait for an initial disability decision to 190 days by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, from more than 230 days. confirmedas of 2025-06-25

    6. [6]

      In November 2025 Commissioner Frank Bisignano told disability advocates that the planned age-related regulation would not go ahead. The decision was reported on 20 November 2025, but SSA had not made a public announcement at the time. reportedas of 2025-11-20

    7. [7]

      The Social Security Act, signed on 14 August 1935, created old-age benefits for workers and a Social Security Board to register people, collect contributions and send payments. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    8. [8]

      SSA's headquarters is at 6401 Security Boulevard in Baltimore, Maryland. confirmedas of 2025-11-03

    9. [9]

      SSDI is funded mainly by payroll taxes. Of the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax, 1.8% goes to the Disability Insurance trust fund, on earnings up to $184,500 in 2026. confirmedas of 2026-03-13

    10. [10]

      In January 2026 about 8.1 million people received SSDI, including 7.1 million disabled workers. The average monthly benefit was about $1,633 for disabled workers, and total SSDI payments were $12.1 billion that month. confirmedas of 2026-03-13

    11. [11]

      In January 2026 SSI made federally administered payments to about 7.4 million people, including about 1.0 million children, 3.8 million adults aged 18-64 and 2.5 million people aged 65 or older. The average payment was $737 a month. confirmedas of 2026-02-13

    12. [12]

      The cost-of-living adjustment compares the average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) in July to September with the same quarter a year earlier. confirmedas of 2025-11-03

    13. [13]

      Social Security and SSI benefits rose 2.8% for 2026. The increase applied to Social Security benefits payable from January 2026 and to SSI payments for January 2026, which were paid on 31 December 2025. confirmedas of 2025-11-03

    14. [14]

      As of 11 October 2026 the 2027 COLA had not been announced. It is expected on 14 October 2026, the day the Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to publish September 2026 consumer price data, and will take effect with January 2027 payments. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    15. [15]

      The Social Security trustees project that the combined trust funds can pay full benefits until 2034 and that the retirement (OASI) fund will be depleted in 2032, while the Disability Insurance trust fund can pay full benefits through at least 2099. confirmedas of 2026-03-13

    16. [16]

      SSA's regulations treat advancing age as an increasingly limiting factor in adjusting to other work. People aged 50-54 are "closely approaching advanced age", and at 55 or older age "significantly affects" the ability to adjust to other work. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    17. [17]

      In 2025 SSA officials worked on a proposed regulation that would have limited or removed age as a factor in disability decisions. ProPublica and The Washington Post reported it could have led to at least 830,000 mostly older blue-collar workers being denied benefits. reportedas of 2025-11-20

    18. [18]

      SSA published revised criteria for evaluating cardiovascular disorders in its Listing of Impairments on 2 July 2026, effective 30 October 2026. confirmedas of 2026-07-02

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Oct 14, 2026.

    Cite this page

    "Social Security Administration (SSA)." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/social-security-administration

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

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