The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) sent a letter to all returning House members last month who previously cosponsored H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), urging their renewed support.
The bill was reintroduced on Jan. 9 by Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) joined by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA).
“I respectfully ask that you reconfirm your support for ending the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) by cosponsoring the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, H.R. 82,” wrote NARFE National President William Shackelford. “This bipartisan legislation would repeal two unfair penalties that reduce the Social Security benefits of nearly 2 million beneficiaries who dedicated their lives to public service.”
The proposed legislation would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. The WEP and GPO provisions reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for those who are covered by a government (federal, state or local)-sponsored guaranteed pension plan, such as federal employees who are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
Last fall, in the previous Congress, the bill reached more than 290 cosponsors but did not ultimately come to a full vote on the floor.
“The WEP and GPO take away the hard-earned income of public servants at all levels of government, including federal workers, teachers and police officers, whose work is not covered by Social Security,” Shackelford wrote. “The GPO provides that two-thirds of the non-covered government pension offsets whatever Social Security benefits would be payable to the retired government worker as a spouse (wife, husband, widow, widower), often eliminating any spousal or survivor Social Security benefit. The WEP can result in a monthly Social Security benefit as much as $558 less than under the regular benefit formula, drastically reducing the amount of fixed income for a retiree to live on. These penalties result in thousands of dollars in lost benefits every year simply because these workers chose to serve their nation or local community.”
“The 118th Congress presents ample opportunity to repeal these penalties,” wrote Shackelford. “NARFE appreciates your cosponsorship of the Social Security Fairness Act in the previous Congress and asks that you cosponsor this legislation again on behalf of the public servants you represent.”
The full text of the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 can be viewed here.
NARFE has released an issue brief on the WEP and GPO that can be downloaded here.