Texas Congressional Representative Kevin Brady (R, The Woodlands) recently spoke at a Conroe Independent School District meeting about an issue he has been working on for more than fifteen years and one that is near and dear to the hearts of members of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA): the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
Brady filed a new bill that he is working to pass through Congress before he retires later this year. HR 5834, the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act.
HR 5834 makes sure that teachers, firefighters, and police officers will receive a Social Security benefit that reflects their actual work history. The bill also provides critical relief to retired public servants who are affected by the WEP.
HR 5834 PERMANENTLY REPEALS THE CURRENT WEP AND REPLACES IT WITH A NEW, FAIRER FORMULA THAT TREATS PUBLIC SERVANTS LIKE THE REST OF AMERICAN WORKERS.
The bill currently has 48 cosponsors across 18 states.
Ninety-five percent of school employees in Texas are not fully covered by Social Security, and most are impacted negatively by the WEP or Government Pension Offset (GPO).
We need full congressional, bipartisan support for this legislation that affords our public sector retirees and future retirees with dignity and gives them hope for a secure retirement.
TRTA has worked many years to help fix the WEP. TRTA Executive Director Tim Lee offered these comments to those who want a solution: “Congressman Brady has identified both the problem and the solution when it comes to the existing WEP. His efforts have brought many congressional colleagues to the table on a real solution. Stakeholders from around the country are working together to gain congressional support to pass HR 5834. Please, if you want to fix the WEP, let’s all rally as much support as possible for HR 5834. Let’s pass The Equal Treatment of Public Workers Act this Congress!”
Reach out to your Congressional Representative today to ensure they are cosponsoring HR 5834. If you are not sure who your Representative is, please use this link to find out. Be sure to let them know they may reach out to TRTA Executive Director Tim Lee if they need more information about this very important bill!
Important Information about HR 5834
Key Points
- Ensures that the millions of public servants with careers in both Social Security covered and noncovered employment receive equal treatment as other workers.
- Replaces the WEP with a new, proportional formula that reflects actual work history.
- Creates a transition period for current workers and provides restorative relief to retirees affected by the WEP.
For Seniors Subject to the WEP
- Provides fixed, monthly payments starting at $100 for workers and $50 for auxiliary spouse and child beneficiaries to offset the WEP reduction for those first eligible for benefits before 2023 (60 and older in 2021).
- Payments are updated annually by the Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment.
For Today’s Workers
- Allows workers with noncovered earnings and a noncovered pension who are first eligible for benefits from 2023 to 2061 to receive the higher of either the current law formula or the new proportional formula.
For Future Workers
- Calculates benefits for workers 21 and younger in 2021 with the new proportional formula that uses total lifetime earnings adjusted for the proportion of earnings that came from jobs where an individual paid Social Security taxes.
¡Gracias!
Stay tuned to the Línea interior for more information about issues that impact Texas public education retirees at both the state and federal levels.
¡TRTA es el único grupo que se enfoca únicamente en su seguridad de jubilación TRS! Únase a nosotros hoy!
Thank you for being a member of TRTA and supporting issues that affect retired Texas public school personnel. Be sure to download the TRTA app to receive all of the latest updates and communicate with your fellow retirees.
