Teachers, has Uncle Sam robbed your Social Security benefit?
Have you lost half your benefit because of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) of the Social Security Act?
Did you work in the private sector before or after becoming a teacher? Did you have a part-time or summer job, and now find the Social Security benefit you earned in that job reduced 50% or more by WEP?
Bill H.R. 594 in the House and S. 349 in the Senate repeal both the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
Some other public employees -- firefighters, police, postal workers, etc. -- have been affected, too.
Get back all the benefits you earned!
Ask your representative in Congress to support H.R. 594.
Ask your senator to support S. 349.
(Feel free to edit and add your own personal remarks and experiences to this letter. If writing to a senator substitute S. 349 for H.R. 594).
Dear Representative (or Senator)____________,
I am writing to ask you to cosponsor H.R. 594. This bill repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) of the Social Security Act, and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
WEP and GPO substantially reduce Social Security payments to teachers and other individuals who receive pensions from non-covered employment, and who have also worked at jobs covered by Social Security.
WEP has an inequitable effect on many teachers who have struggled their entire working careers to supplement family budgets and retirement savings with part-time and summer jobs. In other cases, before becoming educators, many teachers worked in low paying jobs in the private sector where Social Security was the only means of saving for the future. These teachers have fully paid into Social Security and are entitled to all their benefits. WEP pulls the rug from the retirement plans of these individuals, penalizing them for working extra jobs or splitting their careers between the private and public sectors.
The Government Pension Offset (GPO) unfairly reduces the Social Security spousal benefits of public employees.
The NEA estimates that 300,000 individuals are losing an average of $3,600 a year due to the pension offset -- an amount that can make the difference between self-sufficiency and poverty. The GPO has the severest affect on widowed lower-income women who have worked hard for years and can least afford reduced benefits.
I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 594 (or S. 349).
NOTE: If your representative is already a cosponsor of
these bills, write to thank him or her for supporting the legislation.
What's the difference between WEP
and GPO?
WEP
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) primarily affects people who earned a pension from working for a government agency and also worked at other jobs where they paid Social Security taxes long enough to qualify for retirement or disability benefits. An example would be a teacher who was employed in a school system in certain states where such employment was not covered by Social Security, but who also worked at summer jobs that were covered by Social Security. You also may be affected if you earned a pension in any job where you didn't pay Social Security taxes, such as in a foreign country. Your Social Security benefit amount may be reduced by 50%. (Based on SSA Publication No. 05-10045.)
The Government Pension Offset (GPO) applies only if you receive a government pension and are eligible for Social Security benefits as a spouse or widow( er). The offset will reduce the amount of your Social Security spouse's or widow(er)'s benefits by two-thirds of the amount of your government pension. In other words, if you get a monthly civil service pension or a teachers' retirement pension of $600, two-thirds of that, or $400, must be used to offset your Social Security spouse's or widow(er)'s benefits. (Based on SSA Publication No. 05-10007.)
Sample letter | E-mail addresses of representatives | House of Representatives page |
Senate page | See if your Rep is a cosponsor of H.R.594 |
See if your Senators are cosponsors of S. 349 |
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