On September 28, Representatives Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Richard Neal (D-MA), respectively the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced legislation that would repeal Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision, or WEP, and replace it with a new, more fair formula to ensure that Social Security benefits are based on actual work history.
The WEP is a federal reduction to an earned Social Security benefit that affects many retirees who receive a retirement benefit from an employer who did not withhold Social Security taxes, such as firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public servants, including many PERA members and retirees.
H.R. 6933, the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2018, is part of continued efforts at the federal level to ensure that public servants who also earn a pension are treated fairly when it comes to Social Security.
According to a press release from the House Ways and Means Committee, the legislation is intended to “facilitate further discussion and analysis” after ongoing conversations with stakeholders about how many public employees are treated unfairly when it comes to calculating Social Security benefits using the Windfall Elimination Provision.
The Ways and Means Committee is encouraging affected stakeholders to send feedback to WEP.feedback@mail.house.gov.
Additional information, including any future action on the legislation, can be found here.
Read the Social Security Administration Chief Actuary’s letter to the Ways and Means Committee bill sponsor Rep. Kevin Brady.