Bill with extra $200 per month in Social Security didn’t pass

In recent weeks, many VERIFY readers have reached out to the group to question the potential change to Social Security benefits.

Social Security provides people with income when they retire or are unable to work due to a disability. Retired people can usually start receiving Social Security benefits as early as age 62.

Social Security payments grew 8.7%, or about $140 per month for the average recipient, for 2023 due to annual cost of living (COLA) adjustments.

But could another surge in interest be on the way? Several VERIFICATION readers, including Doug, asked if they would receive an extra $200 per month in their Social Security checks.

Do Social Security recipients get an extra $200 per month?

No, Social Security recipients do not receive an additional $200 per month. A bill introduced in the House and Senate in 2022 proposed increasing the payments, but it did not pass.

A bill to increase Social Security payments by $200 per month was introduced in both the House and Senate in June 2022. But the law did not pass.

The Social Security Expansion Act includes a $200 monthly increase in Social Security benefits for new and existing recipients, separate from the annual cost of living (COLA) adjustment. according to a fact sheet on the bill. That means recipients will receive an average of $2,400 more per year if the bill passes.

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Mary Johnson, Social Security and Medicare policy analyst with the Senior Citizens League, said the law as it was written would apply the increase to pensioners, disability and survivors, but not pensioners. for recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is a need-based program for people with limited incomes and resources.

The Social Security Expansion Act has been moved to various committees in the House and Senate for discussion, which is the first step in the legislative process, but it has not passed or even been passed. put up for a vote before the 117th Congress officially ends on January 1. 3. That means the bill will need to be reintroduced in 2023.

A congressional law search shows that the Social Security Expansion Act has not been reintroduced as of February 3, 2023.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who introduced the Social Security Expansion Act in the Senate, has also yet to make an announcement on his website about reintroducing the bill. Sanders’ office did not respond to an email asking if he planned to reintroduce the law.

The Legislative Representative in the House of Representatives has retired and is no longer in office.