President Biden Signs Bill to Boost Benefits for Millions of Public Workers



U.S. President Joe Biden Signs Social Security Fairness Act, Ending Longstanding Provisions

President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act on Sunday, a bipartisan legislation that clears the way for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public sector workers who also receive pension income to receive increases in their Social Security benefits.

The new law repeals two provisions – the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) – that have been in place for over four decades. The WEP reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who receive pension or disability benefits from employment where Social Security payroll taxes were not withheld, affecting approximately 2 million beneficiaries. The GPO reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive income from their own government pensions, affecting nearly 750,000 beneficiaries.

The Social Security Fairness Act will provide an estimated average increase of $360 per month for millions of teachers, nurses, and other public employees, and their spouses and survivors. This increase is a “big deal” for middle-class households, Biden said. Additionally, more than 2.5 million Americans will receive a lump sum payment of thousands of dollars to make up for the shortfall in benefits they should have received in 2024.

The bill will take effect for Social Security benefits payable after December 2023, and the Social Security Administration will provide more details on how the benefit increase will be implemented. The legislation received a 76-0 vote in the Senate and a 327-0 vote in the House, with bipartisan support from lawmakers.

Advocacy groups praised the signing of the bill, calling it a historic move. The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare endorsed the Social Security Fairness Act, saying it was a “victory” after decades of lobbying for the repeal of WEP and GPO. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association called the law a “big victory for federal retirees, along with so many others, who will finally receive the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned.”

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