Advocating for Change: Supporting the Social Security Fairness Act
Who Will Benefit?
The new law primarily assists:
- Police officers, firefighters, and teachers in various states
- Federal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)
- Individuals with foreign Social Security system coverage
On February 24th, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced immediate action to issue retroactive payments and increase monthly benefits for individuals impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) was a federal law that reduced Social Security benefits for certain workers who also received pensions from non-covered employment—jobs that did not require Social Security tax contributions. In January 2025, the Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law, officially repealing WEP and restoring full Social Security benefits to affected retirees. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) was a federal law that reduced Social Security benefits for people who receive non-covered pensions. The Social Security Fairness Act repealed the GPO, championed by Congressman John James and POAM in Michigan.
“The Social Security Fairness Act, which I proudly supported, ensures our incredible teachers, firefighters, and police officers who’ve been shortchanged for too long finally get the benefits they’ve rightfully earned. I will always Back The Blue and welcome this victory for our local heroes! Additionally, I’m pleased to report that President Trump’s Administration is working overtime to issue retroactive payments to beneficiaries.” -Congressman John James (MI-10)
These provisions have previously reduced or eliminated benefits for over 3.2 million people receiving a non-covered pension—a retirement benefit earned from work that did not require Social Security tax contributions. With the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, WEP and GPO are now eliminated, restoring full Social Security benefits to affected retirees.
Boost for more than 3.2 million coming in April
“Social Security is moving aggressively to issue retroactive payments starting in February and increase monthly benefits beginning in April,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “While complex cases will still require manual processing, most beneficiaries will receive corrected benefits much sooner than initially estimated.”
The SSA’s revised timeline aims to process most one-time retroactive payments by the end of March, directly depositing funds into recipients’ bank accounts. Beginning in April 2025, increased monthly benefits will be reflected in payments.
Payment Details & Notifications
- Retroactive Payments: Most affected individuals will receive a lump sum in March for the amount they were underpaid since January 2024.Higher Monthly
- Benefits: Starting in April, beneficiaries will see an increase in their regular Social Security payment.
- Notification Process: Beneficiaries will receive a mailed notice explaining the benefit changes. However, due to Social Security’s efforts to expedite compensation, payments may arrive two to three weeks before the notice.