Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has introduced a new bill, to raise the Social Security lump-sum death benefit to $2,900 to reflect today's cost of living.

The disclosure followed a cross-check of student aid records against federal grant logs and the Social Security Death Index.

Instead, the agency is flagging as “unverified” the Social Security numbers of thousands of people who lost their temporary legal status.

2026 Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment could rise 2.7%. But Medicare Part B premiums are set to rise even more, eating most of the COLA.