Federal government passes Social Security Fairness Act

H.R. 82 will repeal WEP/GPO provisions impacting retired teachers

Photo courtesy of C-SPAN

Nearly two years after it was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, lawmakers in Washington have passed the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal two unfair provisions in federal law.

MSTA has advocated against the unfair provisions known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) for over 40 years. The WEP reduces Social Security benefits for those who earned a pension from a non-Social Security pension program, while the GPO reduces spousal or survivor benefits. Eliminating these harmful provisions in law has been front and center in the MSTA Education Policy Priorities.

MSTA members took action to engage Missouri’s congressional delegation and advocate for Congress to pass H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal both provisions and allow teachers to receive Social Security benefits they earned through work outside of public education.

The legislation, supported by MSTA, had bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. It was signed by Former Pres. Joe Biden in one of his final official acts as president on Jan. 5.

This change in law will not only impact teachers, but also other public sector employees including firefighters, police officers, nurses, and postal workers.

PSRS retirees may be impacted by this change in federal law. The Social Security Administration has put together a web page with information for those impacted by the repeal of these two provisions. MSTA will provide updates to all members as more information becomes available regarding changes to Social Security.