On November 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82). The legislation passed by a vote of 327-75, with one member voting “Present.” The bill would increase the Social Security benefit for many career fire and EMS personnel and their spouses.
H.R 82 would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) is a modified benefit formula that reduces the Social Security benefits of certain retired or disabled workers, who also are entitled to pension benefits based on earnings from jobs that are not subject to the Social Security payroll tax. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduces the Social Security’s spouses’ or widows/ers’ benefits of most people who also receive a pension based on federal, state, or local government employment not covered by Social Security.
The Senate still must vote on H.R. 82. The Senate companion bill (S. 597) was introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and has 62 cosponsors.
"The IAFC community of firefighters is pleased that the House has restored full Social Security benefits for us and other public service people. The two provisions of current law – the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) significantly impact the income and quality of life for retired firefighters. Now we wait for the Senate to also act,"
- Josh Waldo, CFO, EFO, the IAFC’s President and Board Chair.
Ken LaSala is the IAFC’s Director of Government Relations & Policy.