On Saturday, Dec. 21, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, that would repeal two federal policies – the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The GPO and WEP reduce Social Security payments to many retirees. While H.R. 82 does not impact SURS retirement benefits directly, it may affect Social Security benefits of some SURS members.
The GPO and WEP are federal laws that may reduce a worker’s Social Security benefits if they receive benefits from a public retirement system that does not participate in Social Security (i.e., a “non-coordinated” system), such as SURS.
H.R. 82 repeals the GPO and WEP under federal law. This means that, if signed by the president, a person’s Social Security benefits will not be reduced due to benefits received from a non-coordinated system.
H.R. 82 previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 12. The bill is now sent to the president for his signature.
SURS cannot answer questions about Social Security benefits or the specific impact of this legislation on those benefits. Social Security benefits are calculated and paid by the Social Security Administration. Contact www.ssa.gov or 1-800-772-1213 (Toll Free) 1-800-325-0778 (TTY) for more information.