DLA Medicare Consultants

04/07/2026

IRMAA bites!

10/25/2025

Social Security announces 2026 increase in benefits of 2.8% (click below for details).

Baltimore, MD – The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today that Social Security benefits, including Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance …

06/30/2025

SOC IAL SECURITY TRUST FUND PROJECTED TO BE DEPLETED IN 2034 (ONE YEAR EARLIER THAN LAST YEAR'S PROJECTION)

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
For Immediate Release
Social Security National Press Office
[email protected]

Social Security Board of Trustees: Projection for Combined Trust Funds One Year Sooner than Last Year
Combined Funds Move One Year Sooner to 2034; OASI Remains at 2033

The Social Security Board of Trustees today released its annual report on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The combined reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance (OASI and DI) Trust Funds are projected to have enough dedicated revenue to pay all scheduled benefits and associated administrative costs until 2034, one year earlier than projected last year, with 81 percent of benefits payable at that time.

The OASI Trust Fund is projected to become depleted in 2033, the same year as last year's estimate, with 77 percent of benefits payable at that time. The DI Trust Fund reserves are not projected to become depleted during the 75-year projection period.

In the 2025 Annual Report to Congress, the Trustees announced:

The reserves of the combined OASI and DI Trust Funds declined by $67 billion in 2024 to a total of $2.72 trillion.
The total annual cost of the program is projected to exceed total annual income in 2025 and remain higher throughout the 75-year projection period. Total cost began to be higher than total income in 2021. Social Security's cost has exceeded its non-interest income since 2010.
If Congress does not act, combined trust fund reserves are currently projected to become depleted in 2034. At that time, there would be sufficient income coming in to pay 81 percent of scheduled benefits.
"To ensure we serve the public and deliver high-quality service to the 185 million people who work and pay payroll taxes for Social Security and the 70 million beneficiaries who will receive benefits during 2025, the financial status of the trust funds remains a top priority for the Trump Administration,” said Frank Bisignano, Commissioner of Social Security. “Congress, along with the Social Security Administration and others committed to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, must work together to protect and strengthen the trust funds for the millions of Americans who rely on it – now and in the future – for a secure retirement or in the event of a disability."

Other highlights of the Trustees Report include:

Total income, including interest, to the combined OASI and DI Trust Funds amounted to $1.42 trillion in 2024. ($1.29 trillion from net payroll tax contributions, $55 billion from taxation of benefits, and $69 billion in interest)
Total expenditures from the combined OASI and DI Trust Funds amounted to $1.48 trillion in 2024.
Social Security paid benefits of $1.47 trillion in calendar year 2024. There were about 68 million beneficiaries at the end of the calendar year.
The projected actuarial deficit over the 75-year long-range period is 3.82 percent of taxable payroll - higher than the 3.50 percent projected in last year's report.
During 2024, an estimated 184 million people had earnings covered by Social Security and paid payroll taxes.
The cost of $7.4 billion to administer the Social Security program in 2024 was a very low 0.5 percent of total expenditures.
The combined trust fund reserves earned interest at an effective annual rate of 2.5 percent in 2024.
The Board of Trustees usually comprises six members. Four serve by virtue of their positions with the federal government: Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury and Managing Trustee; Frank Bisignano, Commissioner of Social Security; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services; and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Secretary of Labor. The two public trustee positions are currently vacant.

View the 2025 Trustees Report at www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TR/2025/.

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06/08/2025

DLA Medicare Consultants continues on. I will be offering my Medicare consulting service but have officially retired from DLA Financial. Look for an announcement on my new phone contact. I will continue to meet with clients at the DLA Financial office in Maumee.

10/10/2024

SOCIAL SECURITY ANNOUNCES 2.5% INCREASE FOR 2025

Mark Hinkle, Press Officer
[email protected]

Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase 2.5 percent in 2025, the Social Security Administration announced today. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $50 per month starting in January.

Over the last decade the COLA increase has averaged about 2.6 percent. The COLA was 3.2 percent in 2024.

Nearly 68 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) beginning in January 2025. Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2024. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security benefits and SSI).

“Social Security benefits and SSI payments will increase in 2025, helping tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool,” said Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security.

Some other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) is slated to increase to $176,100 from $168,600.

Social Security begins notifying people about their new benefit amount by mail starting in early December.

This year, for the first time, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a newly designed and improved COLA notice that makes it easier for customers to find the information they need most. The simplified COLA notice is now only one page, uses plain and personalized language, and provides exact dates and dollar amounts of a person’s new benefit amount and any deductions.

Individuals who have a personal my Social Security account can view their COLA notice online, which is secure, easy, and faster than receiving a letter in the mail. People can set up text or email alerts when there is a new message--such as their COLA notice--waiting for them in my Social Security.

People will need to have a personal my Social Security account by Nov. 20 to see their COLA notice online. To get started, visit www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

Information about Medicare changes for 2025 will be available at www.medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare, the 2025 benefit amount will be available via my Social Security's Message Center starting in late November. Those who have not opted to receive messages online will receive their COLA notice by mail in December.

The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To read more, please visit www.ssa.gov/cola.

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08/24/2022

Timeline of the Prescription Drug Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (Source Kff)

10/28/2021

Annual Enrollment Period
October 15 to December 7

Just as your health care needs can change from year to year, so can Medicare plans. And not all plans offer the same benefits. Open Enrollment is your chance to review your Medicare coverage options, and find the best fit for you.
Call Bobbi (419) 491-0090

10/13/2021

TWO STEPS FOR MEDICARE BENEFITS
1. The first step in getting Medicare benefits is to sign up for Medicare Part A (Hospital) and Part B (Medical). Sometimes Part A and Part B are referred to as original Medicare.

2. The second step is to consider your options for added benefits to help with the costs that original Medicare does not cover (deductibles, out of pocket medical expenses, prescription drugs, dental, vision and hearing).

For answers on how (and when) you sign up for original Medicare or to learn what your options are for additional benefits, call Bobbi Linn (419-491-0090) or click on www.dlamedicareconsultants.com for more information.

Licensed insurance agent (OH, IN, MI...) representing Medicare Insurance carriers offering Medicare Supplements (MediGap), Medicare Part D Drug Plans, and Medicare Advantage Plans. Not affiliated with the US Government or Medicare program.

09/17/2021

Sign up for Medicare Part B Online, by Fax or Mail. Bobbi can help with the process. Just call (419) 491-0090.
Click on image below for more details.

For many people, signing up for Medicare Part B doesn’t require you to leave the comfort of home. Please visit our Medicare Part B webpage if: You are already enrolled in Medicare Part A.

06/24/2021

VETERAN ID CARD
A Veteran ID Card (VIC) is a form of photo ID you can use to get discounts offered to Veterans at many restaurants, hotels, stores, and other businesses. Find out if you’re eligible for a Veteran ID Card—and how to apply by clicking on the link below.

A Veteran ID Card (VIC) is a form of photo ID you can use to get discounts offered to Veterans at many restaurants, hotels, stores, and other businesses. Find out if you’re eligible for a Veteran ID Card and how to apply.