When will SSA address suspended GPO accounts? No response from Social Security for months

Unfortunately, GPO reviews are seriously backlogged right now. My wife's case took nearly 8 months to resolve last year, and I've heard it's gotten worse. The payment centers are prioritizing initial claims over adjustments like these. Have you requested an official status update through your MySocialSecurity account? Sometimes that pushes them to look at your file.

Thank you for responding. 8 MONTHS?! That's terrifying. I've tried the MySocialSecurity route but all I get is 'your case is under review.' I'm going to run out of money before they figure this out...

same thing happened to my brother in law last year. took forever!!!

Did they eventually fix it? Did he get backpay for the suspended months?

This GPO stuff is ridiculous! The whole system is designed to punish public servants. I worked 22 years for the county and 15 in the private sector, and they STILL slashed my benefits. I've been fighting with them for over a year now. The GPO and WEP are unfair policies that need to be abolished, not \

While I understand your frustration with GPO and WEP rules, they remain current law that SSA must enforce. There are bills in Congress to modify or eliminate these provisions, but until those pass, SSA is required to apply GPO and WEP reductions to benefits when a person receives a pension from non-covered employment.

I was caught in GPO purgatory for 7 months last year after retiring from teaching. The frustrating part was not being able to reach anyone who could give me a straight answer about where my case stood. I'd call the 800 number only to be told they couldn't help with payment center issues, and the local office kept saying they had no control over the process.I finally got through to someone who actually helped by using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It lets you skip the hold times when calling SSA. They got me connected to an agent in under 15 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks. The agent was able to flag my file for priority review, and it was resolved within 2 weeks after that. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - seriously worth it when you're desperate to get answers.

I've never heard of this service - does it really work? I've spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected. At this point I'd try anything to get an actual person who can help.

i tried claimyr last month when i needed to report my mothers death. got through in like 10 mins when i had been trying for days by myself. worth it IMO

Just to clarify some important points about GPO reviews:1. The current average processing time for GPO reconsiderations at payment centers is approximately 4-6 months, though some cases are taking longer.2. You should request a \

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I didn't know about the critical case option or the partial payment possibility. I'll head to my local office tomorrow with the financial hardship documentation. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all this.

Has anyone actually had success getting the GPO reduced or eliminated? I worked for the state for 27 years but also worked private sector jobs most summers where I paid into SS. They still reduced my spousal benefit by almost the full amount of my pension! I've been trying to get them to recalculate for ages...

If you paid into Social Security during summer jobs while working for the state, those earnings should be reflected in your Social Security record. However, this wouldn't affect your GPO reduction. GPO applies when you receive a pension from work not covered by Social Security (like your state job). The summer jobs where you paid into SS would build eligibility for your own SS retirement benefit, but wouldn't reduce the GPO impact on spousal benefits. It's a common misunderstanding, but the two systems (your own SS benefit vs. GPO reduction) operate independently.

the whole system is broken they just want to keep our money

While the system can be frustrating, GPO exists to maintain parity between those who worked in covered employment vs. non-covered. The idea is that someone shouldn't receive both a full government pension (where they didn't pay SS taxes) AND full spousal SS benefits. It's about equivalent treatment, though many find the implementation problematic.

Update: I took the advice about requesting critical case status and brought documentation about my financial hardship to the local office yesterday. The claims specialist was actually very helpful and submitted the request. She said it should speed things up considerably. Also got confirmation that I'll receive full back pay once it's resolved. Thanks everyone for your suggestions - this has been so stressful!

That's great news! The critical case designation really does make a difference. When you get your benefits sorted out, make sure to check that they've calculated everything correctly. My backpay had errors initially and I had to get them to recalculate.