I had written Senator Feinstein about WEP and specificlaly how hard it was on Adjuncts when are pensions are much smaller than our full time counterparts. This is her reply to me:
U S Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message Nov 19 2018
Dear Ms. Allbee :
Thank you for writing to me to share your support for repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provisions of the Social Security Act (Public Law 74-217). I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you know, the WEP and GPO provisions generally affect individuals and their spouses who receive a separate pension from employment not covered by Social Security. These provisions were put in place in 1983 when President Reagan signed into law the Social Security Amendments Act (Public Law 98-21), which reduced certain Social Security benefits through the implementation of the WEP and GPO.
I share your belief that it is important to support people who pursue careers in public service. As you know, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the “Social Security Fairness Act of 2017” (S. 915) on April 24, 2017. This bill would repeal the WEP and GPO provisions of the Social Security Act . This bill is currently awaiting consideration by the Senate Committee on Finance, of which I am not a member.
I appreciate learning of your views on this important issue, and I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind should the “Social Security Fairness Act of 2017” or related legislation come before the full Senate for a vote .
Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington , D.C. , office at (202) 224-3841 or visit my website at feinstein .senate.gov . You can also follow me online at YouTube , Facebook , and Twitter , and you can sign up for my email newsletter at feinstein.senate.gov/newsletter .
Best regards. Sincerely yours, Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator
I too am affected by the GPO which denies me of any Social Security benefit earned by my deceased husband. He died 14 years ago but worked for over 40 years contributing to Social Security. I find it very unfair, as his wife, that monies taken from us for Social Security now do not benefit me, rather many people who are undeserving. His contributions to Social Security were wasted in my opinion. We would have been better served to use that money in our own savings and plans for the future. I am being penalized for having the fortitude to seek and engage in employment in the Federal sector in jobs that protected this country. Where does my husband’s money go??????
Patricia Sydnor – Please send your comments to your Federal elected officials for two reasons. First so they can know the situation and second, one of their staff members may be able to help you. I do not know that much about GPO, but I understand that with the WEP, you could still get some. When I put on a Flex activity at our campus two years ago, the Social Security representative said to contact them. Too many people are being told the blanket statement “You are a teacher and you don’t get any Social Security” but that is not necessarily true. Let me know what you find out. Thank you, Carynne Allbee samwisebaggins@yahoo.com