April 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.4

GUEST COMENTARYSarah

GUEST COMENTARYSarah RoebuckSocial Security Fairness Act:Retroactive Social Security payments averaging ,710, are on the way to first respondersand eligible law enforcement retirees previously impacted by WEP and GPO. They willalso see higher monthly benefits beginning in April.The Social Security Administration(SSA) has begun issuing retroactivepayments to eligible beneficiariesunder the Social Security FairnessAct, including police officers, firefighters,EMS providers and otherpublic sector employees.The Social Security Fairness Act,signed into law by former PresidentJoe Biden on Jan. 5, 2025, repealedthe Windfall Elimination Provision(WEP) and Government PensionOffset (GPO). These provisions previouslylimited Social Security benefitsfor retirees who also receivedstate or local government pensionsor other non-Social Security-coveredretirement payments.Billions in payments alreadydistributedAs of March 4, SSA has paid morethan .5 billion in retroactivebenefits to over 1.1 million people,with an average payment of ,710.These payments are being made toretirees who were previously impactedby WEP and GPO, provisionsthat reduced Social Security benefitsfor individuals who also receivepensions from work that did notcontribute to Social Security.The payments began in late February,and the SSA has prioritizedissuing the funds quickly using automatedprocessing. Complex casesrequiring manual review will takelonger to process.28 The BLUES - APRIL ‘25Who is eligible for retroactivepayments?Many first responders qualify forretroactive payments if their benefitswere previously reduced byWEP or GPO. This includes firefighters,police officers and EMSproviders in states where publicsector pensions were not coveredby Social Security contributions.Other eligible individuals include:• Federal employees under theCivil Service Retirement System(CSRS)• Workers whose jobs were coveredby a foreign social securitysystem• Spouses and surviving spouseswhose benefits were previouslyimpacted by GPOHow far back do retroactivepayments go?The one-time retroactive paymentcovers benefits back to January2024, the month when WEP andGPO no longer applied. This paymentwill be deposited into beneficiaries’bank accounts on file withSSA by the end of March 2025.Higher monthly benefit payments,reflecting the repeal of WEP andGPO, will begin in April for benefitscovering March. Since Social Securitybenefits are paid one month inarrears, this means eligible recipientswill see their first increasedbenefit payment in April 2025.What actions do beneficiariesneed to take?Most affected retirees do not needto take any action to receive theirpayments. However, SSA advisesindividuals to ensure their mailingaddress and direct deposit informationare up to date. Beneficiariescan check their information onlinethrough the My Social Securityaccount portal or by calling SSA at1-800-772-1213.Those who never applied for SocialSecurity benefits due to WEP orGPO may need to file an application.SSA has set up a streamlined processfor new applicants. To apply:• Visit www.ssa.gov/apply for retirementor spouse’s benefits.• Call 1-800-772-1213 and say“Fairness Act” when prompted.• Survivors who qualify for benefitsmust apply by phone, as onlineapplications are not available.What to expect nextSSA officials have asked beneficiariesto wait until April to checkon the status of their retroactivepayments, as they will be processedthroughout March. Those who qualifyfor increased monthly benefitsshould also wait until after receivingtheir April payment before contactingSSA with questions abouttheir updated amount.For more information, visit www.ssa.gov/fairnessact.

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