The Social Security Administration (SSA) has confirmed it has completed sending payments to those who were impacted by the Social Security Fairness Act, five months ahead of schedule.
Why It Matters
Under the Biden administration, the federal agency, which pays benefits to tens of millions every month, said the process of issuing new and backdated payments could take considerably longer. At the time, the SSA told Newsweek it was “determining the timelines for implementing this new law.”
What To Know
In January, lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill that repealed two provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)—that limited retirement benefits for certain workers, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers, some federal employees, and their spouses. The agency first started issuing these payments in February.
The new payments included updated benefits amount and backdated payments to January 2024.
Despite previous longer timelines being for implementation, the SSA has now confirmed it has sent out 3.1 million payments to those impacted by the repeal of the WEP and GPO. To date, over $17 billion in payments has been distributed.
The WEP reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who received pensions from public-sector jobs—such as state or federal positions—that did not require paying Social Security payroll taxes. This reduction applied even if they also worked in jobs where they paid into Social Security and qualified for benefits.
The GPO lowered spousal or survivor benefits for retired federal, state, or local government workers who had not contributed to Social Security through payroll taxes.
Other Changes
The SSA also said it has made “significant progress in its ongoing efforts to improve customer service,” including upgrading telephone systems in 841 field offices—70 percent nationwide—and cut the average wait time on its 800 Number to 13 minutes, a 35 percent drop from last year.
A new service model in field offices has reduced wait times by 10 percent year-over-year, the agency reported, and the initial disability claims backlog has been cut by 25 percent, from 1.2 million to 950,000 cases. Disability hearings have reached a low of 276,000 still pending, with wait times down by 60 days compared to last summer, the agency added.
What People Are Saying
SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in the press release: “My top priority is to transform SSA into a model of excellence—an organization that operates at peak efficiency and delivers outstanding service to every American.
“The American people have waited long enough for better service, and they deserve the absolute best from their government. I am deeply grateful to our dedicated employees who are already making this turnaround a reality.”
What Happens Next
The SSA said the agency is continuing to make improvements across its services.
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