NARFE Celebrates Signing of the Social Security Fairness Act
On Sunday, January 5, President Joseph Biden signed into law the Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. 82, repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
After decades of relentless advocacy, relief is finally in sight for millions of retired public employees. H.R. 82 will bring long-awaited parity for teachers, first responders, and countless other public servants whose Social Security benefits have been unfairly reduced for more than 40 years due to WEP and GPO.
We have reached this momentous day thanks to the tireless efforts of NARFE members, public service advocates, and our coalition partners dedicated to fairness and justice for our nation’s public servants.
The law repeals WEP and GPO for benefits payable after December 2023. However, we await further details on the implementation. For updates from the Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding the repeal of WEP and GPO, you can check https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html
Beneficiaries must ensure their information is up to date with SSA, including address and direct deposit details. If you have not applied for spousal or survivor benefits due to GPO, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to start accruing benefits. You can apply online by creating a personal Social Security account at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/
WEP and GPO have disproportionately affected dedicated public servants who served their communities in dual roles, receiving both a government pension and qualifying for Social Security. For too long, these retirees have been denied the full benefits they rightfully earned, but that inequity ends now.
NARFE is the only organization solely dedicated to protecting and preserving the benefits of all federal workers and retirees. You can celebrate this milestone for public servants across the country by joining NARFE or renewing your membership today! Visit www.narfe.org/join to learn more.
