The Federal government shut down on October 1, 2013, and certain aspects of the Social Security Disability process will be affected because the work of many of the SSA employees is suspended
Individuals who are receiving benefits will continue to receive their payments. Initial applications and Requests for Reconsideration will continue to be processed at the SSA Field Offices and by the State employees of the Division of Disability Determination Services.
However, you may have a case in which you filed a Request for Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge at the ODAR (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review). If your hearing is already scheduled, you can expect it to take place as scheduled. However, ODAR is not going to schedule new hearings and will not be preparing or developing pending claims records. Also, the Appeals Council will not be reviewing cases.
You can find out more about the SSA’s contingency plans at http://www.ssa.gov/shutdown/ and