WEP and GPO being eliminated - How will Social Security Fairness Act affect my teacher pension and SS benefits?

Yes! This is FINALLY happening! My mom was a teacher for 31 years in California with CalSTRS and her Social Security benefits were absolutely GUTTED by WEP/GPO. The Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law January 5, 2025, and it's retroactive to December 2023. According to what I've read, the SSA is working on implementing changes but it could take over a year to process everyone. They're prioritizing new claims first. You don't necessarily need to contact them as they'll automatically adjust benefits, but you might want to make sure your contact info and direct deposit details are updated in your mySocialSecurity account. They'll eventually send you notice about increased benefits and any backpay for Jan 2024 forward.

i'm in same boat, retired police officer from massachusetts. been getting WEP reduction of $520/month for 7 years now. called SS yesterday and they basically said don't call us we'll call you lol. they have a msg on their 800 number about the fairness act and say they don't have details yet on how fast they'll process everyone. lady i talked to said if your address & direct deposit info is current, just wait for them to contact you. website says it could take a year+ to get everyone's benefits adjusted.

I've been following this legislation closely as a financial advisor with many public servant clients affected by WEP and GPO. Here's what you need to know: 1. The Act eliminates WEP and GPO retroactive to January 2024 (so February 2024 payments and forward) 2. SSA will automatically adjust payments for those already receiving reduced benefits - no new application needed in your case 3. Your benefit increase depends on your specific situation - some will see modest increases while others could receive over $1,000 more monthly 4. SSA is implementing this without additional funding, which explains the delay 5. If you've never applied for spousal or survivor benefits because GPO would have eliminated them, you should apply now (doesn't sound like your situation) The most important thing is ensuring SSA has your current contact information and direct deposit details. Log into your mySocialSecurity account to verify everything is correct.

My sister-in-law has been dealing with this GPO garbage for years as a retired Ohio teacher. The SSA website has been overwhelmed since the announcement. When she finally got through on the phone, they basically told her not to call back because they're swamped and don't have procedures in place yet. Typical government efficiency, right? At least it's finally happening though.

btw watch out for scammers! my neighbor got a call from someone claiming to be from social security saying they needed to "verify her information" to process her wep increase. total scam! ssa will never call you asking for personal info or money to process your increase. if anyone contacts you about this hang up!

My mom tried calling yesterday about her affected benefits (she's a retired TX teacher) and waited 2+ hours! SSA has a message on their site saying they're getting 7,000+ calls daily just about this change, and they're under a hiring freeze so they can't add staff to handle it. She finally gave up and decided to just be patient. At least we'll get retroactive payments back to January 2024!

After reading more on the SSA website, I want to clarify something important - not ALL teachers/firefighters/public employees will see a benefit increase. The change only affects those who receive pensions from work not covered by Social Security (about 28% of state/local public employees). If you paid SS taxes throughout your career, you weren't affected by WEP/GPO in the first place, so you won't see changes. Just wanted to mention this since I've seen some confusion on other forums!

For those waiting on these adjustments, here's what I've learned after researching the implementation process: 1. The SSA is currently focusing on processing NEW claims correctly without applying WEP/GPO 2. For existing beneficiaries like most of us, they're developing both manual and automated processes to recalculate benefits 3. If you're receiving Social Security now with a WEP reduction, you don't need to reapply - they'll eventually adjust your benefit automatically 4. If you never applied for spousal/survivor benefits because GPO would have eliminated them, you should apply now 5. If you pay your Medicare premiums directly (rather than having them deducted from SS), continue doing so until notified otherwise The SSA webpage for the Fairness Act has an option to subscribe for updates, which might be helpful: https://www.ssa.gov/fairness-act