(NEXSTAR) – The announcement of the Social Security Administration’s 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has been delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown, and amid uncertainty about the agency’s continued ability to address the needs of beneficiaries with fewer staff and limited services.

The Social Security Administration’s COLA, which is designed to help recipients of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries retain their buying power amid rising inflation, is usually announced in mid-October, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for September. (The 2026 increase is based on BLS data from the third quarter — July, August and September — of 2025.)

This year, however, the BLS will miss its usual mid-October

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