Illinois Retired Teachers Association

H. R. 82 – Social Security Fairness Act – SIGNED!

President Joe Biden signed H. R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, into law on Sunday, January 5th. Biden’s signature is a monumental victory that restores fairness to the system and ensures the hard work of teachers, first responders and other public employees is truly recognized. The Social Security Fairness Act fully repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which have unfairly reduced retirement benefits of dedicated retired teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public servants who serve our communities. This legislative victory has been decades in the making and marks the culmination of IRTA’s long-fought battle on this important issue. More importantly, it is a testament to the powerful voice of IRTA members and our strength in numbers. Now that the Social Security Fairness Act has been approved by the President, IRTA’s attention is focused on the implementation of this new law. An important next step is that the Social Security Administration must begin recalculating the benefits for nearly 3 million retirees whose Social Security benefits have been reduced by WEP or eliminated by GPO. The exact effective date of the new law is still to be determined, but we will keep members updated once we have more information. Given the complexity of recalculating benefits for millions of retirees, this process will likely take several months to complete. THANK YOU to all IRTA members for your dedication to urge Congress and President Biden to right a wrong that has impacted so many for so long. Your ongoing support and diligence were crucial in bringing the Social Security Fairness Act across the finish line. IRTA will provide updates on the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act as information becomes available.