Contact your Senators today to tell them to vote yes on the Social Security Fairness Act!
The Social Security Fairness Act would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which, as of December 2023, reduce Social Security benefits for nearly 2.5 million people across the nation. Both provisions affect people who work in jobs where they don’t pay into Social Security, like some state or local governments or certain public sector jobs such as public schools.
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) affects those who receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits or their eligible dependents. The WEP reduces the monthly social security payment for someone who works at a job where they are covered by an alternative state-retirement system where they are not required to pay into Social Security. For example, an occupational therapy practitioner who doesn't earn Social Security from their work in public schools because they are part of a state pension system, but works part-time during the summer in a Social Security-covered job, will have their social security benefits from this extra work, reduced or eliminated because of the WEP.
The Government Pension Offset (GPO) is similar to WEP but applies to spousal benefits. Under the GPO, a person who works in federal, state, or and receives a non-social security covered pension will have their spousal benefit under Social Security drastically cut or even eliminated.
This important legislation will ensure that public sector workers, like occupational therapy practitioners who work in schools or for state governments, are able to receive the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned over their lifetime of work, without being penalized for their government pension.
Please act now, and tell the Senate to pass the Social Security Fairness Act today!
For more information on the legislation, the WEP, and the GOP, click here.