What’s New at SSA
An overview of the latest COLA projections and recent disability updates.
The 2027 COLA: expect something near 3.5 percent
The official announcement comes on October 14, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases September inflation data. Until then, the best nonpartisan estimate available comes from The Senior Citizens League, which issued its final pre-announcement forecast of 3.5 percent for 2027 — down a tenth of a point from its August figure, and notably higher than the 2.8 percent adjustment that took effect this January (The Senior Citizens League). On an average retirement benefit, that works out to roughly $68 more per month, moving the average check from about $1,940 to just over $2,008 (Yahoo Finance summary of the TSCL forecast).
If the forecast holds, it would be the largest cost-of-living adjustment since the 8.7 percent increase that took effect in 2023. The three years in between brought 3.2 percent, 2.5 percent, and 2.8 percent (Social Security Administration). One caution on reading that as good news: the COLA measures inflation you have already absorbed, so a larger adjustment reflects a more expensive year behind you rather than added purchasing power ahead.
Projected Medicare Part B increase
The Medicare Trustees project a standard Part B premium of about $209.50 per month for 2027, up $6.60 from $202.90 in 2026. That is an increase of roughly 3.3 percent — the smallest percentage rise in Part B since 2023, even as the COLA moves in the opposite direction (MOAA analysis of the Trustees Report). The Part B deductible is projected at $292, up from $283.
Treat those figures as a baseline rather than a final answer. The Trustees’ projections have run below the eventual premium in recent years, and some private forecasters put the 2027 figure closer to $216 to $219 (Yahoo Finance). CMS announces the official premium, deductible, and IRMAA brackets in November. If you are near an IRMAA bracket threshold, that November release matters more to you than the COLA does, since a modest income change can cost considerably more than the standard premium increase.
New Compassionate Allowance conditions
On August 11, SSA added 14 conditions to its Compassionate Allowances list, bringing the total to 314 (Social Security Administration). The additions include four cancers — uveal melanoma with metastases, primary cardiac sarcoma, primary intracranial malignant melanoma, and hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma — along with Lafora disease, malignant migrating partial seizures of infancy, Aicardi syndrome, Bohring-Opitz syndrome, and several other rare genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders (SSA press release).
Because the term gets misused, it’s worth being precise about what a Compassionate Allowance is and is not. It is not a separate benefit, a looser standard, or a waiver of the medical requirements. It is a screening mechanism: SSA’s systems flag claims involving conditions on the list so they can be identified early and routed for expedited handling rather than waiting in the ordinary queue. The claimant still must meet the statutory definition of disability and the same non-medical requirements, including insured status and work activity. What changes is timing, and for conditions this severe, timing is frequently the whole issue. If you or a family member receives a diagnosis that may appear on the list, checking the current CAL conditions list before filing is a few minutes well spent, and identifying the condition clearly in the application helps the flag do its work.
What to watch
October 14 brings the official 2027 COLA. November brings CMS’s Part B premium, deductible, and IRMAA brackets. Together those two announcements determine what your net monthly deposit looks like in January.
Prepared by Maryellen Eckert, EDPNA, Your SSA Rep. This newsletter is general information about Social Security and Medicare. It is not legal, tax, or investment advice, and it does not create a representation relationship.
