In a huge victory for teachers and other public servants, WEP/GPO repeal is now the law of the land. Yesterday afternoon, CEA President Kate Dias had the honor of being present at the White House when President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 into law. Watch the signing ceremony.
“It’s overwhelming to know that we played a part in something that changes the lives of millions of Americans,” Dias says. “It’s honestly probably a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. This incredible victory for teachers and other public servants is thanks to our tireless work over decades to repeal these unfair provisions. An end to the injustice of the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset that stripped retirement benefits from millions of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public servants would not have been possible without our continued advocacy.”
Dias spoke with all four of Connecticut’s major TV stations yesterday—check out the coverage: NBC Connecticut, Channel 3, Channel 8, Fox 61.
“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity. That’s the entire purpose of the Social Security system crafted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt nearly ninety years ago,” Biden said. “We’ve all heard stories about public sector employees—teachers, nurses, maintenance workers, and more—many working second jobs beyond their public service, often just because they need to make ends meet. The law that existed denied millions of Americans access to the full Social Security benefits they earned by thousands of dollars a year. That denial of benefits also applied to surviving spouses of public service employees.”
In Connecticut, at least 32,000 retirees are immediately impacted by passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, as is every teacher currently employed.
CEA President Kate Dias with NEA Vice President Princess Moss.
“WEP and GPO were barriers for people coming into our profession who had previously worked in the private sector,” Dias says. “Now those barriers are gone. We can start welcoming people to the profession to begin their second careers.”
Please take a moment to thank federal elected officials for their leadership on this issue and their steadfast support for WEP/GPO repeal.
The Social Security Administration is currently evaluating how to implement the act—CEA will share more information as soon as it’s available. For now, retirees should verify that the Social Security Administration has your current mailing address and direct deposit information. If you’re a retiree who has not previously filed for Social Security benefits and are interested in filing, you can file online at ssa.gov or schedule an appointment. The newly signed bill is retroactive to January 2024.
“Over 2.5 million Americans will receive a lump sum payment of thousands of dollars to make up for the shortfall in the benefits they should have gotten in 2024, and they will begin receiving these payments this year,” Biden said. “This victory is the culmination of a forty-year fight to provide security for workers who dedicated their lives to their communities. I am proud to have played a small part in this fight.”
