Nearly 3 million current and former public employees will now be able to take full advantage of their Social Security benefits thanks to an act signed into law today.
The Social Security Fairness Act boosts Social Security payments for teachers, first responders, postal workers and other public service workers.
The bill, co-authored by Maine Sen. Susan Collins, rescinds two provisions: the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. Both provisions limited benefits for public workers if they received retirement payments from outside sources, including state and local programs.
The change is to payments from January 2024 and beyond, meaning the Social Security Administration would owe back-dated payments. The measure as passed by Congress says the Social Security commissioner “shall adjust primary insurance amounts to the extent necessary to take into account” changes in the law. It’s not immediately clear how this will happen or whether people affected will have to take any action.
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