The Federal Managers Association (FMA) has for years supported bringing an end to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), an unfair law that punishes some retired civil servants by drastically cutting the amount of Social Security benefits they are eligible to receive. We are pleased to report there is new legislation in the House of Representatives, the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2021 (H.R. 2337), to reform WEP and end the harm to retired civil servants. The bill was introduced by Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

 

In a statement issued to announce the introduction of the bill, Neal wrote, “The Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act garnered more support in Congress last year than any previous WEP reform bill. This year, I look forward to building on that momentum to advance the bill even further, and we’re off to a running start with 139 original cosponsors . . . The WEP negatively affects nearly 2 million retired public servants across the country, including 83,000 in Massachusetts. Public employees like firefighters, teachers, and police officers should not miss out on the Social Security benefits they earned over decades of hard work. With this legislation, these valued members of our communities will have greater retirement security and peace of mind.”

FMA retiree chair Christine Parker issued a statement that "WEP penalizes civil servants for faithfully serving their country and is blatantly and unquestionably unfair. Shortly after I retired, I personally received a letter from OPM informing me that my promised retirement pay would be cut by $1300 per month, to make up for the fact that I had paid into and therefore earned Social Security over the course of a decade in the private sector before beginning my federal career. For the many feds like myself to have our promised pensions gutted by the equivalent of our potential Social Security payment, starting the moment we would even be eligible to collect Social Security whether we do so or not, is patently cruel and unfair. We ask only that money that has been rightfully paid in the form of the Social Security tax be repaid as the promised Social Security payments."

FMA endorsed H.R. 2337 upon introduction – and has supported attempts to modify or eliminate the WEP altogether in previous sessions of Congress. To track the progress of H.R. 2337, please click here.