President Joe Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Biden signs bill increasing retirement income for many public employees
ACSA was active in effort to repeal WEP/GPO
January 13, 2025
President Joe Biden has signed the Social Security Fairness Act, which repealed two federal laws that affected the retirement income of nearly 3 million public employees, including many retired school administrators in California.
The repeal is a win for teachers, classified school employees, school administrators, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other public servants across the country who have earned Social Security benefits that have been reduced or even eliminated because they also receive a government pension.
“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked hard all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity,” Biden said during a Jan. 5 bill signing ceremony at the White House. “The law that existed denied millions of Americans access to the full Social Security benefits they earned by thousands of dollars a year.”
The bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) repeals two laws that have been in effect for more than 40 years:
- The Government Pension Offset, which reduces and sometimes eliminates Social Security benefits to spouses, widows and widowers who also receive money from a government pension.
- The Windfall Elimination Provision, which reduces Social Security retirement benefits for public employees who were also employed in the private sector.
“This remarkable achievement on a longtime ACSA priority was made possible through an unwavering commitment and strong grassroots activism,” said ACSA Executive Director Edgar Zazueta. “The repeal of the WEP/GPO penalties is not only important for the Social Security benefits it provides but also in honoring the role of public educators and other public servants. Gratitude and great credit are due to the ACSA Council of Retired Leaders and their coalition partners. Their dedication, even when it may not benefit them individually, shows how the council truly serves the entire ACSA membership.”
ACSA members Kathleen McCreery and Shelton Yip were members of the National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force, which organized numerous rallies and lobby days on Capitol Hill beginning in May 2021. Task force members met regularly during the last four years and continually contacted their elected officials to request them to co-sponsor the bills to repeal the WEP and GPO penalties.
As chairs of ACSA’s Council of Retired Leaders, McCreery and Yip shared updates about the national effort and advocacy opportunities with the council, which disseminated information to active and retired charters throughout the state. ACSA members made their voices heard throughout the process by contacting their representatives to share how the WEP/GPO impacts their retirement.
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The effort was not without its setbacks and its detractors, who criticized the costs associated with providing additional benefits. Following a failed attempt in the previous Congressional session, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (H.R. 82) was reintroduced in 2023-24 and received overwhelming support when it came to a vote in both houses. On Nov. 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 82 in a 327-75 vote. On Dec. 21, senators supported the bill with a 76-20 vote, which cleared the way for the legislation to reach the president’s desk.
“After so many years of trying, and coming so close, this victory means so much to both the recently retired and those currently serving California’s students,” said Yip, current chair of ACSA’s Council of Retired Leaders. “I am so proud, and grateful for the work we accomplished. This was a multi-year effort that our truly outstanding Council of Retired Leaders will be celebrating with CalRTA and other coalition partners.”
ACSA worked alongside a coalition that included the American Federation of Teachers, the California Retired Teachers Association and other public employee groups at the local, state and national level. ACSA also joined the California School Boards Association in making repeal of the penalties a focus of their Coast2Coast advocacy days in Washington, D.C. The federal lobbyist for both organizations was asked to visit legislators to make them aware of how the WEP/GPO affected education in California.
Proponents of repealing the laws say it will help with recruiting private industry workers to be “second career” teachers, especially in subjects like Career Technical Education. These professionals were previously discouraged from becoming teachers because they would have to forfeit a portion of the Social Security benefits they earned and paid for in the private sector.
“The Social Security Fairness Act will have a positive impact on the ability to recruit and retain teachers that are entering the profession as a second career, often in hard-to-staff positions like science, math and CTE,” McCreery said. “These educators will no longer be penalized for choosing a career of public service.”
McCreery added that the WEP/GPO disproportionally impacted women, who make up a majority of the teaching force, and low-income educators.
“Educators often faced poverty once a spouse died because they lost their survivor benefit completely,” she said. “This will make a huge difference in the lives of all current and future retirees who have or would have been affected by these rules.”
When will my Social Security benefit increase?
The National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force is advising affected beneficiaries to be patient as the Social Security Administration works to implement the Social Security Fairness Act.
“The bottom line here is that recalculating Social Security benefits will be a complex process, and communicating with the Social Security Administration by phone is likely to be a daunting and fruitless process,” according to information on the task force’s webpage. “We must wait!”
The task force is assuring beneficiaries who are already receiving partial or eliminated Social Security benefits that the SSA is aware of their situation and will work to change their award amount as the process continues.
However, the task force is urging individuals to contact Social Security if they meet the following conditions:
- If they know that Social Security does not have their current address or marital status.
- If they never applied for benefits and they are a qualified spouse, divorced spouse or widow/widower of a Social Security beneficiary.
The task force is also asking for help reaching out to retirees whose past marriages qualify them for these benefits but who haven’t applied.
“Some never applied because they knew they would get nothing. Others did not know about the program,” the website states. “Please help find these retirees, and help them get the benefits they deserve!”
For more information on benefit adjustments from the National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force, visit ssfairness.org/the-social-security-fairness-act-passed-the-senate.
Updates on the SSA’s implementation of the SSFA will continue to be released online at www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html.
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