Getting rid of WEP and GPO?

I'm encouraging my DF to apply for spousal benefits. He's been collecting off his own WEP'ed record for 12 years. (1/2 of his wife's benefit would be more than his non-WEP'ed benefit.)
Has anyone been successful applying online for spousal in this type of case? Where they are already collecting off of their own record that is affected by WEP? DF is saying he looked online and doesn't see where he can do this.
Go to ssa.gov to begin the spousal application online or call the ssa local office the minute it open to submit an application via phone or appointment. Check with the SS rep, to confirm that your DF needs to submit an official copy of their marriage certificate. Good luck.
 
I have been traveling, but now I’m back home and can work on this. I applied early at the end of December….probably a mistake, I should have waited until January when the bill was signed. When I got home I had a letter saying my application was denied since I had less than 40 quarters. I was expecting that. However, there was no reference to spousal benefits, which is what I applied for. I called our local office and got an appointment for a phone interview on February 27. The individual who I spoke with was very helpful, but of course, SSA currently has a huge volume of applicants. I will report back when I have my phone interview.
 
I have been traveling, but now I’m back home and can work on this. I applied early at the end of December….probably a mistake, I should have waited until January when the bill was signed. When I got home I had a letter saying my application was denied since I had less than 40 quarters. I was expecting that. However, there was no reference to spousal benefits, which is what I applied for. I called our local office and got an appointment for a phone interview on February 27. The individual who I spoke with was very helpful, but of course, SSA currently has a huge volume of applicants. I will report back when I have my phone interview.
I'm in the same exact boat and I believe this is normal. Why they deny applications for ourselves when we never filed one our behalf I'll never figure out. Like you I only filed one based on spousal benefits, not myself. It sounds like this is the way SS does business and at some point down the line we'll get a response to our original spousal application. Typical federal goverment process I'm guessing. Join the crowd with the rest of us. Hurry up and wait!
 
We called today and asked some questions. My wife is currently drawing as she has 40 quarters in, but only receives $290. We asked about spousal benefits and didn’t get much of an answer and asked about applying now for them, but the wife is worried about effecting the back pay.

We got a phone appointment for late February.

We decided to go by the local SS office and walked right in and no waiting. But didn’t get much of an answer except wait and see what happens.
 
Who's applying for spousal benefits, you or your wife? Since some is applying for spousal benefits, I'm surprised they didn't just take an application, if you wanted to submit one now. What are your ages?
 
I’m 67, wife is 64. I don’t think it will make a huge difference. But worth applying for. We will wait and see for now, see what the specialist has to say.
 
I’m 67, wife is 64. I don’t think it will make a huge difference. But worth applying for. We will wait and see for now, see what the specialist has to say.
If either of you are a public employee with a pension it'll make a huge difference. Why wait until later, none of us knows what tomorrow offers.
 
Minor update.

DH received a letter in the mail today from Social Security Administration in Plains, PA.

"A transaction was recently attempted with your name and personal information. In order to process the transaction, we need additional information from you. We request that you please call us and ask for NAME and PHONE NUMBER with extension."

More instructions about calling and leaving the BNC# on the letter. "If we do not hear from you within 10 calendar days of the date on the letter, we will not take any steps to process the transaction.

The letter is dated 1/13/25 and postmarked 1/15/25 and he received it today, 1/24/25.

So he called and left a voicemail message and he's waiting for the call back. The 10 day thing seems unreasonable considering what the SSA is going through right now with the repeal of WEP and GPO.

Fingers crossed that this is a step in the right direction.
 
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There is an update on the Social Security website under WEP GPO today. Not very good news for me. I have been receiving retirement that has been reduced by WEP and my benefits would be retroactive 12 months since I am 71 years old. I am also due spouse's benefits for 12 months retroactive also. According to the website, it could take over 1 year to adjust benefits and pay retroactive benefits.
 
Minor update.

DH received a letter in the mail today from Social Security Administration in Plains, PA.

"A transaction was recently attempted with your name and personal information. In order to process the transaction, we need additional information from you. We request that you please call us and ask for NAME and PHONE NUMBER with extension."

More instructions about calling and leaving the BNC# on the letter. "If we do not hear from you within 10 calendar days of the date on the letter, we will not take any steps to process the transaction.

The letter is dated 1/13/25 and postmarked 1/15/25 and he received it today, 1/24/25.

So he called and left a voicemail message and he's waiting for the call back. The 10 day thing seems unreasonable considering what the SSA is going through right now with the repeal of WEP and GPO.

Fingers crossed that this is a step in the right direction.
Wow! What a mess. Was the letter from your local office? Did you try calling as soon as the Plains office opens?
 
Wow! What a mess. Was the letter from your local office? Did you try calling as soon as the Plains office opens?
No, not our local office. It's from the one that is processing his application. Our mail came today around noon and he called at around 12:45 pm. He left a voicemail message just like they asked him to do.
 
DH got his call back. The woman told him that there was an anomaly in his application and that he needed to go into an office with his ID. Bring the letter he just received with his case number. Also bring proof of his government pension (why?) and the marriage certificate. We have the certificate from the wedding ceremony but not a certified one from the court house. I mailed a request for that with payment and self addressed stamped envelope a few days ago.

We don't know if our 2 local offices take walk-ins. DH said he would go to one and give it a try. If that doesn't work he will have to find a way to make an appointment.

When I applied for my own benefit in 2019, I was also asked to come to an office to prove my ID. Maybe we are just special!

Interesting that the callback was at 6:30pm, so someone is still working.
 
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Social Security
  • Benefits

Social Security Fairness Act: Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) update (Subscribe | En español)​

Last updated January 24, 2025
What is the Social Security Fairness Act and who does it help?
The Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025.
The Act ends the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced or eliminated the Social Security benefits of over 3.2 million people who receive a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security (a "non-covered pension") because they did not pay Social Security taxes. This law increases Social Security benefits for certain types of workers, including some:
  • teachers, firefighters, and police officers in many states;
  • federal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System; and
  • people whose work had been covered by a foreign social security system.
Learn more below about the steps the Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking to implement the law.
Will every teacher, firefighter, police officer, or public worker receive a benefit increase because of the new law?
Not necessarily. We know that some press articles have mentioned teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees when discussing the Social Security Fairness Act.
However, only people who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may see benefit increases under this new law. Most state and local public employees - about 72% - work in Social Security-covered employment where they pay Social Security taxes and are not affected by WEP or GPO. Those individuals will not receive a benefit increase due to the Act.
When will a person see their Social Security benefit increase because of the Social Security Fairness Act?
SSA is finalizing its plan to implement the Act while limiting negative effects on our regular workloads and services to the public. We cannot yet provide an estimated timeframe for when we will adjust a person's past or future benefits, but we will continue to provide updates on this webpage. We thank the public for its patience.
By how much may a person's monthly benefit increase?
The amount monthly benefits may change can vary greatly. Depending on factors such as the type of Social Security benefit received and the amount of the person's pension, some people's benefits will increase very little while others may be eligible for over $1,000 more each month.
For someone already receiving benefits affected by WEP or GPO, how far back might they receive increased benefits under the Social Security Fairness Act?
December 2023 is the last month that WEP and GPO will apply. This means that those rules no longer apply to benefits payable for January 2024 and later. Important Reminder: Social Security benefits payable for January 2024 would generally have been received in February 2024.
What should people do now that the Social Security Fairness Act is law?
Because the GPO could reduce or eliminate Social Security spouses' or surviving spouses' benefits, some non-covered pension recipients may have never applied for benefits.
If you never applied for spouses' or surviving spouses' benefits:
You may need to file an application. The date of your application might affect when your benefits begin. Filing sooner might help you get a higher benefit amount.
  • The most convenient way to apply for retirement or spouses' benefits is online at www.ssa.gov/apply. The online application will still collect pension information until the application is changed; however, SSA will not offset the benefit.
  • The survivor benefit application is not available online.
  • People who cannot apply online for benefits should call 1-800-772-1213 Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to learn other ways to apply.
If you are not sure whether you ever applied for spouses' or surviving spouses' benefits:
You may need to file an application. The date of your application might affect when your benefits begin. Filing sooner might help you get a higher benefit amount.
If you are entitled to spouses' or surviving spouses' benefits, and your benefits are currently being reduced or eliminated by GPO; OR if you are entitled to retired or disabled workers' benefits, and your benefits are currently being reduced by WEP:
Consider reviewing the mailing address and/or direct deposit information that SSA has on file for you. This will allow SSA to adjust your benefits as quickly as possible. Generally, no other actions are needed at this time.
The easiest way for most beneficiaries to update their address or direct deposit information with SSA, if needed, is online with a personal my Social Securityaccount. There is no need to call or visit SSA. Visit www.ssa.gov/myaccount to sign in or create an account.
SSA will continue to provide updates on this webpage.
What if a person pays their Medicare premium directly to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services due to the Windfall Elimination Provision or Government Pension Offset reduction?
SSA recommends that, until they get a notice from SSA, the person should continue to follow the instructions on the Medicare premium bill and pay the bill to ensure their Medicare coverage does not stop. SSA will send a notice telling people when their Social Security record is updated. Once the person begins receiving a Social Security benefit, the Medicare premium will be deducted from their monthly payment. If the benefit is not enough to cover the Medicare premium, the person will be billed for the remainder. SSA's notice will include this information.
If the person prepaid their premiums to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and SSA tells them that their premiums will now be deducted from their monthly Social Security benefits, they will receive any applicable refund. SSA's notice will include this information.
You may need to take action. For people who pay their Medicare premium using Automated Clearing House (ACH), also known as Medicare Easy Pay or Online Bill Payment: Once SSA notifies the person that they will receive a benefit increase, the Medicare premium will automatically be deducted from their monthly Social Security payment.
  • For people using Medicare Easy Pay: They should arrange to stop the ACH payments by completing the Authorization Agreement for Preauthorized Payments form (SF-5510) and sending to the address on the form or online at Medicare.gov. Both options are located at Medicare Easy Pay.
  • For people using Online Bill Payment: If a person is paying their Medicare premiums through their bank's online bill payment service, they should contact their bank to stop their online bill payments.
    Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.
How can someone avoid scams about the repeal of WEP and GPO?
Unfortunately, bad actors might attempt to take advantage of situations when money is involved. SSA will never ask or require a person to pay either for assistance or to have their benefits started, increased, or paid retroactively. Hang up and do not click or respond to anyone offering to increase or expedite benefits. Learn more about Social Security-related scams, and how to report them to SSA's Office of the Inspector General, at www.ssa.gov/scams.
What is SSA doing to tell people about the repeal of WEP and GPO?
SSA has taken several steps to tell people what it is doing to implement the Act and to provide important updates. SSA wants people to avoid unnecessarily calling or visiting while SSA is finalizing its implementation plan. SSA:
  • created this Social Security Fairness Act webpage to explain what the Act does, what steps—if any—someone should take, and other helpful information. The webpage offers the option to subscribe to receive alerts when SSA updates the webpage, eliminating the need to return to the webpage to check for updates. SSA encourages media and organizations to direct people to this webpage for information.
  • added some upfront messaging to its National 800 Number about the Act so callers do not need to wait to speak to a representative. The webpage has more detailed information.
  • plans to share updates with state retirement boards, labor unions, financial planners, and human resources professionals.
What is SSA doing to ensure it can help people affected by the Social Security Fairness Act?
The Act requires SSA to adjust benefits for over 3 million people. Since the law's effective date is in the past, SSA must adjust some people's past benefits as well as future benefits. Processing these changes is very complex and SSA's analysis shows that much of the work must be done manually, on an individual case-by-case basis. SSA is currently processing pending or new claims involving future benefits and developing procedures and automated solutions for computing retroactive benefits.
What challenges does SSA face implementing the Social Security Fairness Act?
SSA's ability to implement the law in a timely manner and without negatively affecting day-to-day customer service relies on funding. The Act did not provide money to implement the law. The law requires SSA to adjust benefits for over 3 million people. Since the law's effective date is retroactive, SSA must adjust people's past benefits as well as future benefits. Though SSA is helping some affected beneficiaries now, under SSA's current budget, SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits.
Callers to SSA's National 800 Number hear a message about the Act. This message has helped tens of thousands of people avoid holding for a representative. However, more than 7,000 people each day still choose to wait to speak to a representative about the Act. These calls, as well as visitors and appointments in local offices, will continue to increase over the coming weeks and months.
Helping people with this new and unfunded workload is made more difficult by SSA's ongoing staffing shortages, including operating under a hiring freeze since November 2024. This hiring freeze is likely to continue. All SSA customers, including those not affected by the Act, will face delays and increased wait times as SSA prioritizes this new workload.
 
I’m not surprised it could take over a year because on the groups I belong to online people are calling when they don’t need to. They are taking the worker’s time that could be used to pay benefits. Ugh!!
 
Another chapter in the on-going application process. I filed for spousal SS on Jan. 6th and it went to Step 2 a week later and was assigned to the Richmond, CA office. I called the rep that was assigned to my application today and he asked if I had received the letter or email from Jan. 16th. I told him no, I've seen no sign of any letter or email from SS. He then started getting me nervous about this whole process.

After some digging around over the phone he comes back and says the letter simply said they needed a completed form SSA-3 (Marriage Certification) and everything else looked like a go. I quickly printed out a copy, filled it out and had my wife sign it. I then drove up to our local SS office and dropped it off in their drop box for paper work. Be interesting to see what happens now, It'll either be done next week or I'll be looking at months down the road. Time will tell....
 
DH called one of the local SS offices this morning to get an appointment. He had to leave his number and wait for a call back about an hour later. When they called back he had to go through a few identity security questions including his mother's maiden name, my name and my SS number. That's good, they must need that because it's a spousal claim. We are still waiting for the official marriage certificate from the county so I hope that comes before this appointment.

He got an appointment in 2 weeks. This is the downtown office in the local Federal building. When I went there once they had customer parking in an underground garage. They no longer have that, you have to use the public parking lots in the area or one of the few meter spots on the main road. Not a problem, but it's nice to know that in advance.

Looking forward to jumping through the next hoop!
 
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DH called one of the local SS offices this morning to get an appointment. He had to leave his number and wait for a call back about an hour later. When they called back he had to go through a few identity security questions including his mother's maiden name, my name and my SS number. That's good, they must need that because it's a spousal claim. We are still waiting for the official marriage certificate from the county so I hope that comes before this appointment.

He got an appointment in 2 weeks. This is the downtown office in the local Federal building. When I went there once they had customer parking in an underground garage. They no longer have that, you have to use the public parking lots in the area or one of the few meter spots on the main road. Not a problem, but it's nice to know that in advance.

Looking forward to jumping through the next hoop!
Great progress! Keep your jumping boots on because it'll be worth all of the hard work.

BTW, I'm pleased to announce that, exactly four weeks after submitting my application online for spousal benefits on January 6th...I HAVE RECEIVED MY OFFICIAL BENEFIT AWARD LETTER!!!! My benefit payment starts February 2025!

So don't give up and good luck to everyone still grinding to get their benefits! 😀
 
On one of the Facebook groups I belong to people that have never applied for SS because of GPO filed online and some have received their benefits and even their back pay. It appears it’s easier to deal with new applications as there’s nothing to remove unlike existing benefits.

The group is called the Guardians of SS. It was the WEP/GPO group that has now changed its name.
 
On one of the Facebook groups I belong to people that have never applied for SS because of GPO filed online and some have received their benefits and even their back pay. It appears it’s easier to deal with new applications as there’s nothing to remove unlike existing benefits.

The group is called the Guardians of SS. It was the WEP/GPO group that has now changed its name.
DW has discovered the same thing. Because she applied in 2012 and was awarded WEP reduced benefits based on her own earnings and denied spousal benefits, because of GPO, based on my earnings, she falls in line behind those now applying for the first time. She was warned any change to her current status could take many months.

As long as there is "back pay" leveling her up to what a current application would have resulted in, we're ok with that. But if having applied years ago means you forego many months of benefits, that seems a bit unfair.

We had a glass of wine and decided to try our best to not fret over it..........
 
BTW, I'm pleased to announce that, exactly four weeks after submitting my application online for spousal benefits on January 6th...I HAVE RECEIVED MY OFFICIAL BENEFIT AWARD LETTER!!!! My benefit payment starts February 2025!
Just curious, since you were applying for the first time, were you awarded any "back payments?"
 
DW has discovered the same thing. Because she applied in 2012 and was awarded WEP reduced benefits based on her own earnings and denied spousal benefits, because of GPO, based on my earnings, she falls in line behind those now applying for the first time. She was warned any change to her current status could take many months.

As long as there is "back pay" leveling her up to what a current application would have resulted in, we're ok with that. But if having applied years ago means you forego many months of benefits, that seems a bit unfair.

We had a glass of wine and decided to try our best to not fret over it..........
I qualify under both WEP and GPO. Because I have 2ex’s to choose from I asked both what their SS was and then dropped off a paper application for the ex with the highest amount. They only let you use a Dropbox in the lobby.

I figured worse case scenario I get my increase on WEP and they lose my paper application. I dropped it off on 1/6 and if they don’t indicate that they have received it by 3/6 I’ll make an appointment. Unfortunately, I couldn’t file online since I was already collecting. I’ll at least get the year of back pay for WEP.
 
Just curious, since you were applying for the first time, were you awarded any "back payments?"
No back pay in this situation. How could I get back pay for a period that I never applied for? Plus, I haven't reached my FRA. I'm happy to be getting quite a bit more than the $0.00 that I've been getting. 🙂
 
^^^^

Thanks for the info. Just trying to keep some data points as we figure out how all this is working.

Your results are what I would have expected.
 
I’m losing hope that most of us will see our money in a timely manner. In addition to the federal hiring freeze 2million federal workers were sent a email today offering them a deal to resign. Ugh!!
 
I’m losing hope that most of us will see our money in a timely manner. In addition to the federal hiring freeze 2million federal workers were sent a email today offering them a deal to resign. Ugh!!
Yep, couldn't have come a worse time. Sadly, even a year from now will be too late for many people.
 
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