{"id":69396,"date":"2025-01-07T09:49:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T15:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trta.org\/?page_id=69396"},"modified":"2025-02-14T13:14:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T19:14:00","slug":"wep-repeal-faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/trta.org\/es\/wep-repeal-faq\/","title":{"rendered":"WEP GPO REPEAL FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a1WEP y GPO DEROGADOS!<\/div>
Despu\u00e9s de m\u00e1s de 40 a\u00f1os, dos medidas perjudiciales de Seguridad Social finalmente han sido derrotadas.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>
\u00a1WEP y GPO DEROGADOS!<\/div>
Despu\u00e9s de m\u00e1s de 40 a\u00f1os, dos medidas perjudiciales de Seguridad Social finalmente han sido derrotadas.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 2024, the U.S. Congress and Senate passed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, repealing the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). On January 5, 2025, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 82, making repeal of GPO and WEP the law of the land.<\/em><\/p>

This strong bipartisan effort eliminates two unfair and arbitrary federal provisions that reduced or even eliminated entirely earned Social Security benefits of millions of public servants, including most Texas public education retirees.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tView the SSA REPEAL PAGE<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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WEP & GPO REPEAL FAQ<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat were the GPO and WEP?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

GPO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

The Government Pension Offset, or GPO, was a Social Security provision that reduced government employees\u2019 spousal or survivor benefits. These benefits are commonly related to a spouse receiving their partner\u2019s Social Security income when their partner passes away.<\/p>

Specifically, the GPO most often applied to the benefits retired Texas teachers expected to receive as a widow or widower.<\/p>

The GPO reduced the SS income of survivors by two-thirds the amount of their TRS annuity. In most cases, this completely eliminated the spousal Social Security benefit Texas public education retirees expected as a widow or widower.<\/p>

WEP<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) was an unfair federal provision preventing retirees from receiving the Social Security benefits they are owed. The WEP, which took effect in 1983, provided a means of eliminating the \u201cwindfall\u201d of Social Security benefits received by beneficiaries who also receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security.<\/p>

Ninety-six percent of Texas public school employees do not pay into Social Security through their work with Texas schools. However, many have other jobs before, during, or after their employment in education in which they do pay into the federal program. Those earned benefits were slashed by WEP, shocking many retirees who expected to receive Social Security benefits as part of their retirement income.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNEW! What should people do now that the Social Security Fairness Act is law?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

According to the Social Security Administration’s website:<\/strong><\/p>

The Act applies to benefits you get on your own record (retirement or disability benefits) and to spouse’s or surviving spouse’s benefits on another person’s record. What action you need to take depends on your situation and on what type of benefits you qualify for.<\/p>

If you never applied for retirement, spouse’s, or surviving spouse’s benefits because of WEP or GPO:<\/strong><\/p>

You may need to file an application. The date of your application might affect when your benefits begin and your benefit amount. However, each case is different, and all other Social Security laws and policies, such as benefit reductions for claiming benefits before the full retirement age, the retirement earnings test, and others, still apply.<\/p>