Members & guests- free! Register HERE

Please join this upcoming virtual event, presented by Mark Miller as part of our Chicago Area Villages Collaborative program series. The Collaborative includes 8 Villages in the area who are part of the Village movement focusing on supporting older adults in the community.

What’s going on at the Social Security Administration? A high-profile shakeup of the Social Security Administration has created new worries for retirees – and people getting close to retirement – about accessing benefits. The Trump administration’s DOGE initiative has called for a reduction of about 12% in the SSA workforce at a time when its staffing already is at a historical low and the number of applicants is rising as the country ages. Many experts worry about a brain drain at the agency, as people with deep experience and knowledge about SSA systems depart. The administration also is sharply narrowing the scope of transactions that can be accomplished by calling the SSA toll-free phone line.

The turmoil is making it more difficult for some people to apply for Social Security benefits. The SSA also processes Medicare applications, which could get caught up in the problems, too.

About the presenter: Mark Miller is a nationally-recognized journalist and author covering retirement and aging. He contributes to The New York Times and Morningstar. His free RetirementRevised newsletter can be found here. Mark’s most recent book is Retirement Reboot: Commonsense Financial Strategies for Getting Back on Track.