NEWS
WEP and GPO-Social Security
During the 2019 La. Legislative Session, House Concurrent Resolution 20 (Rep. James) and Senate Concurrent Resolution 34 (Sen. Mizell) both requested that Congress review and consider eliminating the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) Social Security benefit reductions. Although these resolutions have no effect of law, state lawmakers have passed them multiple times over the years to urge action on this use at the federal level. Read more about these below.
The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
The GPO and WEP are Social Security provisions which impact individuals who have chosen to serve their school boards, towns, cities, counties and states in public jobs. These provisions reduce retired public employee’s individual Social Security and survivor benefits. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) eliminates or reduces the spousal benefit by an amount that is determined using a formula which factors in the amount of a teacher’s retirement benefit. This reduction occurs whether the Social Security receiving spouse is alive, deceased, or divorced. Remember, the GPO only impacts those individuals who were not eligible to retire prior to December 31, 1982 (at least age 55 and twenty years of credible service). The following examples help clarify how the GPO may affect an individual in these different circumstances.
The GPO and WEP affect public employees in states that do not participate in the Social Security system. These Social Security benefit reductions affect public employees in virtually every state; however, those states with the greatest impact, in addition to Louisiana, are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas.
Non-public employees with private pensions get to keep their entire Social Security benefit and their Social Security survivor benefits. Take a minute to contact members of your congressional delegation to let them know you do not appreciate being treated differently from your family members and friends who worked in private sector jobs.
Contact a Social Security representative to verify your years of “substantial” earnings and request a calculation of your Social Security benefit. Visit www.ssa.gov for more detailed information on the GPO and WEP, and how these offsets are computed.
What is Being Proposed and What You Can Do
Each year, several bills are proposed by members of the U.S. Congress which address the reduction or repeal of both the GPO and WEP. The Coalition to Preserve Retirement Security has information regarding these proposals posted on their website, www.retirementsecurity.org.
In addition, a grassroots organization founded in California–Social Security Fairness–has developed a web site that provides updated information on the repeal initiative. That web site address is www.ssfairness.com. The web site provides a thorough explanation of GPO/WEP, and suggests steps you can take to further the cause for the repeal of these federal statutes.
You can find the latest information on the proposals before the U.S. Congress by searching for GPO repeal and WEP repeal on the web site of the Library of Congress. That web site address is http://thomas.loc.gov.
Providing the Best Education for the Children of our State
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Research proves that the classroom teacher is the single most important factor in the successful education of public school students
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Attracting the best teachers is difficult because research shows they are paid 17% less than their counterparts with similar degrees and experience in the private sector
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Louisiana ranks 24th in average teacher pay with a lower beginning salary than most state’s making it harder to attract qualified employees
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A guaranteed retirement: A Defined Benefit plan is one of the best ways to attract the highest quality individuals into education
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Many teacher preparation programs are able to advise students into education because our current retirement plan provides a guaranteed benefit
Defined Benefit retirement plans are under attack nationwide.
Click here to see a pdf of a Power Point developed by LRTA Director Rodney Watson to explain what a Defined Benefit plan is, and why preserving Louisiana’s DB plan is important. If you wish to receive it as a Power Point document for presentation, contact the LRTA office.
Become an ‘Activist’ in Protecting Our Current Retirement Plan in a Positive Way
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Join LTRA as a regular or associate member: www.lrta.net
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Join the LRTA email club
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Actively respond and engage legislators on matters important to us as current and future retirees
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We will provide you with contact information, updates, language, and written information to use when speaking to stakeholders and state decision makers
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Let’s work together to protect the retirement benefits for current and future generations, so that Louisiana can attract the best and brightest educators!
Click to go to the LRTA Facebook page
What is Being Proposed and What You Can Do
Each year, several bills are proposed by members of the U.S. Congress which address the reduction or repeal of both the GPO and WEP. The Coalition to Preserve Retirement Security has information regarding these proposals posted on their website, www.retirementsecurity.org.
In addition, a grassroots organization founded in California–Social Security Fairness–has developed a web site that provides updated information on the repeal initiative. That web site address is www.ssfairness.com. The web site provides a thorough explanation of GPO/WEP, and suggests steps you can take to further the cause for the repeal of these federal statutes.
You can find the latest information on the proposals before the U.S. Congress by searching for GPO repeal and WEP repeal on the web site of the Library of Congress. That web site address is http://thomas.loc.gov.
