Will Biden's WEP reform affect my teacher pension & Social Security survivor benefits?

As of 2025, there hasn't been any fundamental change to GPO (Government Pension Offset) or WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) that would significantly impact your situation. There have been proposals to reform these provisions, but no major legislation has been fully implemented yet. The GPO will still reduce your survivor benefits by approximately 2/3 of your government pension. So if your teacher pension is $3,250, about $2,167 gets deducted from your potential survivor benefit, which is why you're getting around $1,175 instead of the full $2,125. It would be worth calling SSA to confirm there aren't any special provisions in recent legislation that might apply to your specific situation, especially with your health history. But don't get your hopes up for a major change to your benefit amount.

The WHOLE system is RIGGED against public servants!!! I worked as a firefighter for 31 years and lost over $800 a month of MY OWN Social Security because of that stupid WEP rule, even though I had enough quarters from summer jobs. Then my wife died and I lost HALF of her survivor benefits because of GPO. They've been promising to "fix" these rules for DECADES but it NEVER happens!!! Don't hold your breath waiting for any real change!!!!

I heard something about this on the news but they didn't explain it well. I think it was just a proposal not a law yet? Politicians always talk about fixing WEP/GPO during election years but nothing ever changes.

I was in your exact situation last year trying to figure out if any of the proposed legislation would help me with my teacher pension and widow's benefits. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to Social Security on the phone - either constant busy signals or being on hold for hours only to get disconnected. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real Social Security agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with explained that while there were proposals to reform WEP/GPO, nothing had actually been implemented yet that would change my benefits. At least I got a definitive answer instead of stressing about it for months. Might save you some frustration!

my neighbor said they were changing the rules for offset but i dont think its happened yet because my sister still has reduced benefits from her teaching pension. she said they told her at the social security office that the computer automatically calculates it and they cant override it even if theres a new law.

Wait I'm confused about something - did you try to get disability from Social Security or from your teacher's pension system? Because some state pension systems have their own disability programs that don't require you to have paid into Social Security.

To directly answer your question: You should definitely call SSA for personalized information, but here's what you need to know about recent legislation: 1. As of 2025, no WEP/GPO reform that would significantly change your current benefit calculation has been fully implemented. 2. Your situation is exactly what the GPO was designed to address - receiving both a government pension and survivor benefits. The offset reduces your survivor benefit by 2/3 of your government pension amount. 3. For specific details about your case, SSA can provide an exact calculation showing how much you're eligible for under current rules. 4. If legislation changes in the future, SSA would notify affected beneficiaries and recalculate benefits accordingly. One practical step: Make sure SSA has your correct pension amount on file. If your pension has decreased for any reason, the GPO reduction might need adjustment.

Does anybody know if this impacts the earnings test? I'm 63 getting SS but still teaching part-time and they take back some of my benefits whenever I make over the limit. SOOOO FRUSTRATING!!!!

Update: I finally spoke with someone at Social Security. They confirmed there haven't been any changes to the GPO rules that would affect my situation. The agent explained that any legislation would need to specifically address retroactive changes to current beneficiaries like me. She suggested I check the SSA website every few months for updates or sign up for their email newsletter. Thanks everyone for your helpful responses!