The Social Security Fairness Act has passed, bringing long-overdue relief to over 40,000 Washington retirees. This bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell, repeals outdated policies that have unfairly limited Social Security benefits for public servants like teachers, firefighters, police officers, and their spouses or widows.
“For nearly 40 years, outdated policies have unfairly penalized some public servants from receiving the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned,” said Cantwell. “This legislation ensures that they finally receive the benefits they deserve.”
Key Changes Under the Social Security Fairness Act
The Social Security Fairness Act addresses two major issues impacting retired public servants nationwide:
- Repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
- This policy reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who paid into both civil service pensions and Social Security.
- In Washington, the WEP affected over 35,417 people in 2023 alone.
- Repeal of the Government Pension Offset (GPO)
- This provision reduced spousal and widow(er) benefits for individuals receiving government pensions not covered by Social Security.
- In 2023, the GPO impacted 7,115 Washingtonians.
With the bill’s passage, retroactive payments for affected individuals will begin in 2024, ensuring fair compensation for years of lost benefits.
A Nationwide Impact
The repeal of WEP and GPO impacts an estimated 2.8 million Americans, including a significant number of state and local government employees. These provisions disproportionately affected those in public service jobs, including employees hired before the adoption of the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and its successor programs.
Senator Cantwell’s work on this legislation follows her efforts to allow tribal governments to opt into Social Security, a milestone for improving retirement benefits across diverse communities.
How Washingtonians Can Benefit
If you’re among the 40,000 Washingtonians impacted by the Social Security Fairness Act, here’s what to do next:
- Check your eligibility for retroactive payments by visiting Social Security’s WEP and GPO Information Page.
- Monitor updates from Senator Cantwell’s office at cantwell.senate.gov.
- Connect with your local Social Security office for personalized assistance.