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Lawmakers renew battle against pension provisions
An old fight resumed on Thursday when two House lawmakers unveiled legislation that would ease the burden of two Social Security laws that significantly reduce benefits for some public sector retirees.
The bill (H.R. 235), introduced by Reps. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and Howard (Buck) McKeon, R-Calif., would repeal two provisions in Social Security law -- the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision -- that reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for federal employees who entered the government before 1984 and are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System. Employees in CSRS do not pay into Social Security and receive a government pension instead.
The Government Pension Offset law cuts the Social Security benefits that some employees -- including widows and widowers -- would have received from their spouses, while the Windfall Elimination Provision reduces benefits for public employees who also worked in private sector jobs where they paid into the Social Security system.
The Social Security Administration estimates that 465,000 beneficiaries are affected by the pension offset. Seventy-seven percent are women, 43 percent are widowed and 75 percent have lost their entire Social Security spousal benefit. SSA data also indicates that about 972,000 beneficiaries are affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision.
Various legislators have introduced bills to repeal or modify the two laws with little success, largely because lawmakers have been unable to find a solution to offset the estimated $81 billion price tag of a full repeal.
The bill's swift reintroduction drew praise from the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, which has lobbied for more than 25 years to repeal the two provisions. The group pledged to work with lawmakers to ensure action on the bill in the 111th Congress.
"The GPO and WEP arbitrarily eradicate the earned Social Security benefits of far too many public sector retirees," NARFE President Margaret Baptiste said on Thursday. "There is absolutely no legitimate reason for one segment of seniors being denied their Social Security benefits for which full Social Security taxes were paid."
COMMENTS
- No bill passing,no more voting democrat.Because this time their no excuse.The results are what democrats have become.Will never vote GOP.But will not vote again,Feinstein always voted with Bush butalway at the last minute.So is this more B S . Taxation with no Representation.Put up or shut up. E Batty Posted June 28, 2009 9:48 AM
- I am retired federal 12 years. I work full-time in the private sector now. Am I reading some of these comments right? Are people saying that if they work full-time they draw full social security? I know I certainly do not. Mine is cut by 2/3. Catherine L. Glass Posted June 19, 2009 10:47 AM
- Thank you again Rep. McKeon. I have been following your Bills that have been introduced on this WEP and GOP law for several years. I spoke at length with one of you staff members about two years ago. She was wonderful. I have been working for this repeal for eight years. I wrote and mailed more than 500 letters in 2006 and continued to write every year to new members of congress. This is what it will take to get this message across to the few "stubborn" legislators that are still holding out and not getting this bill passed. We have already gotten rid of one Senator in my district because she would not support her voters on this bill. This is what it will take to get the bill passed "vote out the 'non-believers'". If you are affected by this, as I am, you have a responsibility to join the "forces" and fight. If you do not get involved, you have no one to blame but yourself when you social security check comes in at about half of what you are trully due to have. I have worked for 21 years in private industry and am on my 27th year in civil service. I am of full retirement age and receive "all" of my social security benefits and "all" of my salary (which is quite good). I'm here for the "long Haul" until this bill is passed. I can not afford to lose half of my social security on what annuity I would receive if I did retire. I am entitle to "all" of my social security and intend to draw it as long as I can breath and walk and go to work. Don't forget to include President Obama in your letter writing campaign. When he was a Senator in Illinois, he signed on to support the bills introduce by Rep. McKeon. There was a website in 2007 that keep us up to date as to how each legislator voted, 2008 was "kinda dead" because of the elections. Time to "crank up the heat again". This could be OUR year. Thank you again Reps McKeon and Berman. Hannah Hoopengarner Posted May 28, 2009 2:25 PM
