Lima Reporter

State Representative Angie King has announced the recent passage of the Social Security Fairness Act by the U.S. Congress. King, who sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 6, has been advocating for the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) to ensure public servants receive their full Social Security benefits upon retirement.

The act successfully passed through the U.S. Senate in its final session before Congress reconvenes next year. It aims to remove WEP and GPO, allowing public employees participating in state-sponsored retirement systems to access their complete Social Security benefits.

"This was long overdue and I was proud to have led the charge in Ohio to urge Congress to repeal WEP and GPO," said King. "State and local workers deserve the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned. This is fantastic news for Ohio’s dedicated public servants."

The Windfall Elimination Provision, enacted in 1983, modifies benefits for employees receiving a pension from public service work. Under this provision, public employees can see up to a 50% reduction in their potential Social Security earnings due to also earning a public pension. In Ohio alone, more than 1.7 million people are part of the Public Retirement System affected by WEP, with around 450,000 current beneficiaries.

Those currently experiencing reductions under these provisions may soon experience an increase in their monthly payments once President Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act into law.