Published: May 9, 2025
First Appeared In NEA Today for NEA-Retired Members, May 2025
Retired Nevada teacher Judith Genone estimates that over the past 10 years, she has lost roughly $100,000 in Social Security benefits.
But when former President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, on Jan. 5, the future suddenly looked brighter for her and many other retired educators.
The law repealed the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), rules that became part of Social Security law in 1983, unfairly reducing the benefits that public employees or their spouses earned.
The victory means everything to Genone and educators like her.
At age 67, Genone was still teaching full-time. She also began drawing Social Security benefits she had earned through decades of side jobs and summer work.
“I received $1,200 each month,” she says. “But when I retired two years later and started drawing my pension, my Social Security benefit was immediately cut to $300 a month.”
What little was left went to covering the essentials: insurance, mortgage, taxes, food, and clothes.
“Who would have thought [our society] would be this unfair to people who go into education?” she asks.
Now, under the new rules, the full benefits she earned have been restored. Genone is thrilled to be able to save money and pay for plane fare to see family.
While the victory celebration continues, educators have reached out to NEA with questions about what happens next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Was the Windfall Elimination Provision?
WEP reduced the Social Security benefits of people who, over the course of their careers, work in jobs covered by Social Security and in jobs not covered by Social Security—for example, career-changers or educators who were compelled to take part-time or summer jobs to make ends meet.
What Was the Government Pension Offset?
GPO reduced—or eliminated—the Social Security spousal or survivor benefits of people who also earned a pension through federal, state, or local government employment that was not covered by Social Security. Two-thirds of the pension amount was deducted from the Social Security benefit.
For someone getting a $1,500 pension, for example, the Social Security benefit decreased by $1,000. More than 70 percent of those impacted by GPO lost their entire spousal or survivor benefit.
Who Was Affected by GPO and WEP?
Educators who worked in 15 states where, as public employees, they paid into their state pension system but not into Social Security, could have been impacted. Those states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, and
Texas. Spouses of public employees may also have been affected since their spousal or survivor benefits would also be reduced.
What Will My Social Security Payments Be Now That GPO and WEP Have Been Repealed?
Impacted individuals will see an estimated average increase of $360 per month, but actual amounts will vary based on employment history. There will also be a lump sum payment for those impacted in 2024, compensating them for lost benefits for that year. Additionally, spouses, widows, and widowers will no longer see reductions in survivor benefits due to GPO.
What Should I Do If I Am Already Retired And My Social Security Benefits Were Partially Or Completely Offset?
At this time, you do not need to take any action except to verify that the Social Security Administration (SSA)has your current mailing address and direct deposit information. You can do this online at ssa.gov/MyAccount, or you can visit the Social Security office.
If I Have Not Yet Retired, How Will I Know If the Social Security Fairness Act Impacts Me?
First, review your employment history. WEP affects state and local government employees who have also worked in jobs that required them to pay into Social Security.
Then contact the SSA, which can provide you with personalized information about how these changes in the Social Security Fairness Act may impact your benefits. They can also help you calculate your new monthly benefits. Visit ssa.gov for more information and resources, or call SSA during business hours, at (800) 772-1213.
When Can I Expect My Full Social Security Payment Now That GPO and WEP Have Been Repealed?
Most eligible retirees have already started receiving checks.
Will I Receive Retroactive Payments If I Was Impacted By GPO and WEP?
The new law includes a provision to pay some recipients retroactively for 2024. Most eligible recipients have already received these retroactive lump sums.
Learn More
FAQ: Social Security Fairness Act
For more guidance and resources from NEA.
More Lives Changed
Retired members across the country have shared with NEA how the Social Security Fairness Act will transform their lives:
David Beane, Maine
“If GPO and WEP hadn’t been repealed, I wouldn’t be able to retire. I lost my wife to cancer in 2013 and subsequently lost my home of 18 years, as we put every penny we had into her treatment. I’ve been rebuilding my life since then. I’m thankful for the work of NEA and our allied public sector unions.”
Marci Morrison, Arizona
“I worked in Arizona public schools for 10 years, in addition to many jobs where I paid into Social Security. … But my benefits were severely diminished just because I also spent 25 years as a school social worker in Illinois, a GPO and WEP state.
“When my husband passed away a year ago, I wasn’t eligible for any Social Security benefits. Now I can receive the benefits we both earned. Thanks so much for a brighter future!”
Antoinette Smith, Georgia
“This possibly means that I can finally stop working to add to my income. It also means that I will have survivor benefits if my husband passes before me. That’s life-changing.”
June Davison, Connecticut
“This repeal will help me (age 78) and my son (age 38), who is also a teacher. My grandmother, a teacher for 55 years, must be rejoicing with us in heaven—she who taught 14 years before she had the right to vote!”
Twila Keaveny, Alaska
“Before and during my school career, I worked over 30 years of side jobs where I paid into Social Security. This victory … means I can actually retire with security for myself and my family. Thank you, NEA, for encouraging all of us to continue the fight for 40 years!”
Mae Smith, Illinois
“I taught in Michigan, where I paid into Social Security for 10 years prior to becoming a teacher in Illinois, a GPO and WEP state. When I retired, I received only one-third of the benefits I had earned. I was a member of the NEA Board of Directors in 1983, when GPO and WEP passed, and I have spent 40 years working for the repeal of this law. Thanks to my union, I may finally receive my full benefits!”
A $44,000 Surprise!
“On March 5, I checked my bank account to see if I had enough money to pay my Verizon bill—that’s how I’ve been living the last couple of years, hopscotching between bills. I was stunned to see a deposit of $44,000 in my bank account. I cried for a while, and then I said, “This can’t be real.” But it is! It’s my retroactive payment from Social Security for 2024.
When my husband died 24 years ago, I received survivor benefits based on his career as an engineer. But when I retired, in 2016, and started to draw my pension, I was no longer eligible to receive survivor benefits, or even the modest Social Security benefits I had earned from jobs I held before becoming a public school teacher in my 40s. It was all due to GPO and WEP.
I’ve sent hundreds of letters, if not thousands, to elected leaders to repeal these provisions. I’m still thrilled for all the public employees affected.
My shoulders feel 50 pounds lighter. I don’t plan on going crazy with the money. I just want to pay my bills without having to juggle which one.”
Debra Sheehan, California
Learn more about NEA-Retired
Now more than ever the commitment continues. Learn how NEA-Retired works to meet the needs of retired education employees (like Sam Evelyn Rock from the Chattanooga Hamilton County Retired Teachers Assn in Tennessee at right) and how to join.
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