Does the new Social Security WEP reform bill apply to Railroad Retirement pensions?

Yes, the new WEP reform legislation does apply to Railroad Retirement Tier 2 benefits, which are considered non-covered pensions for WEP purposes. The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) administers two benefit tiers - Tier 1 (equivalent to Social Security) and Tier 2 (additional pension). Since your husband has 17 years of substantial earnings under Social Security, the new bill might help him. The legislation creates a new, fairer formula that gives more credit for those years he paid into Social Security. The SSA will need to recalculate his benefit based on this new formula, but he shouldn't have to do anything - it should happen automatically over the next year as they implement the changes.

my brother worked for bnsf railway for 30+ years and also had some other jobs. when he applied for ss they cut his benefit by like $400 something too. from what I heard on the news the new bill helps people who got both kinds of pensions but idk the details

The WEP Reform Bill definitely applies to Railroad Retirement Tier 2 benefits. The law addresses all non-covered pensions, which includes RRB Tier 2, federal CSRS pensions, and many state/local government pensions. For your husband's situation, here's what to expect: 1) If he has at least 30 years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security, he could be completely exempt from WEP. 2) With 17 years, he'll benefit from the new proportional formula that gives more credit for those years. 3) The bill includes a guarantee that no one will receive less than they do under the current formula. 4) Implementation will take time - SSA has to recalculate millions of benefits. The changes should happen automatically, but it might be worth checking his my Social Security account periodically to see if there are any updates or notices.

I've had TERRIBLE luck trying to get through to SS on the phone to ask about my WEP situation. Been calling for days and keep getting disconnected or told the wait time is over 2 hours!! Anyone know a better way to reach them? I need to know if my husband's federal pension will be affected by this new bill too.

THE WHOLE WEP SYSTEM IS A SCAM!!!! My father worked 40+ years, paid into SS for 25 of those years, then gets penalized because he ALSO had a pension from the state government? How is that fair?? They STOLE his benefits and call it a "windfall" - what windfall?? He EARNED both!! This new bill is just putting lipstick on a pig. They should eliminate WEP entirely!!

Does anyone know when the changes will actually take effect? My mother is in a similar situation with a teacher's pension and reduced SS benefits.

pensions are so confusing lol my dads getting social security and something from his old job but hes always complaining about wep reducing his benefits, maybe this will help him too

One important detail for the original poster: make sure your husband's work record is fully accurate with Social Security. With the new legislation, every year of "substantial earnings" under Social Security could potentially increase his benefit under the new formula. If he had any years where earnings weren't properly reported or if he had multiple employers in a single year, it might be worth reviewing his earnings record in his my Social Security account to ensure everything is correct before the recalculations begin.

I'm dealing with a similar situation - my dad worked for Amtrak for 25 years and also had other jobs where he paid into Social Security. When he started getting SS benefits, WEP reduced them significantly. From what I've been reading about the new legislation, Railroad Retirement definitely falls under the "non-covered pension" category that triggers WEP. The good news is that the new law should help your husband since he has 17 years of substantial earnings under Social Security. The old WEP formula was really harsh - it basically treated people like they were low earners their whole career when they actually had good earnings in their SS-covered jobs. The new formula gives proportional credit for those years, which should result in a higher benefit. One thing I learned from helping my dad: make sure to keep checking the my Social Security account for updates. SSA is supposed to automatically recalculate everyone's benefits, but it's going to take time to process millions of cases. Having that documentation of the current reduced amount will also be helpful when the new calculations come through.

As someone who's been helping elderly family members navigate Social Security issues, I can confirm that Railroad Retirement Tier 2 benefits are indeed subject to WEP, and the new reform legislation should help your husband's situation. The key thing to understand is that with 17 years of substantial Social Security earnings, your husband will benefit from the new proportional formula. Instead of the harsh "all or nothing" approach of the old WEP, the new law gives partial credit for each year he paid into Social Security. A few practical tips based on my experience: 1) Screenshot or print his current benefit statement showing the WEP reduction - you'll want this for comparison later 2) Set up text/email alerts in his my Social Security account so you'll be notified of any changes 3) The recalculations are supposed to be automatic, but SSA has a massive workload ahead of them The $490/month reduction sounds unfortunately typical for WEP cases. While the new formula won't eliminate the reduction entirely with 17 years of coverage, it should provide meaningful relief. Hang in there - this legislation was a long time coming and represents real progress for people in your husband's situation!

I work for the Railroad Retirement Board and can confirm that yes, the WEP reform legislation absolutely applies to Railroad Retirement Tier 2 benefits. Your husband's situation is very common - we see this all the time with railroad workers who also had other employment where they paid into Social Security. The $490/month reduction is unfortunately typical for someone with his work history. The good news is that with 17 years of substantial SS earnings, the new proportional formula should provide meaningful relief. The old WEP was brutal because it essentially ignored those 17 years of SS contributions when calculating benefits. A few things to keep in mind: - The RRB and SSA will need to coordinate on these recalculations since we handle Tier 2 benefits - Make sure his earnings record with both agencies is accurate - every year of substantial earnings matters now - The implementation timeline is ambitious, but both agencies are committed to getting this right I'd recommend keeping his current benefit statements from both RRB and SSA for comparison when the new calculations come through. This has been a long-awaited fix for the railroad community!