$200 Boost Proposed for Social Security Checks

Amid skyrocketing prices, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is working to help seniors and others combat the rising cost of living.

This week, Gillibrand introduced two bills that would boost monthly benefits for seniors. The first, the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act, would provide a $200 per month increase to Social Security checks until July 2026. This would help account for the increasing cost of essentials—from groceries to medical care—and provide short-term relief to seniors, veterans, and Americans with disabilities who live on fixed incomes. 

The second, the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act, would provide a longer-term fix, protecting and expanding Social Security benefits for older adults by changing the formula used to calculate yearly cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to better account for the unique expenses older adults face.

“Americans deserve to retire with dignity, not spend their golden years just trying to get by,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Our seniors have spent a lifetime of hard work paying into Social Security, but the payouts simply aren’t keeping up… These two bills would help make sure that older Americans don’t have to choose between paying for medication and buying groceries, providing both short-term relief and long-term solutions.”

Last week, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that benefits will only increase by 2.8%—equivalent to just $56 extra per month on average. Three out of four Americans aged 50 and older say this is not enough to keep up with rising prices.

The Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act plans to help individuals who receive Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Railroad Retirement benefits, veteran disability compensation, Civil Service Retirement System benefits, and veteran pensions keep up with rising costs by adding $200 to their monthly checks for six months. 

The Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act provides a longer-term fix by directing the Social Security Administration to adjust benefits based on the Consumer Price Index for Americans aged 62 or older (CPI-E), rather than the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners (CPI-W). The CPI-E more accurately accounts for the actual costs incurred by older Americans, such as medical expenses. This makes the CPI-E a more reflective index to use when calculating benefits.