Getting rid of WEP and GPO?

[Irishgirlyc58]

That sounds similar to what I saw. The payment I received was deposited a couple of days before it appeared as a one-time payment on the social security website.

I’m anticipating the usual monthly deposit later in the month.

I think SSA is doing quite a job to get these payments out so quickly.

That’s interesting. My back payment actually showed up on my account the day before it went into my bank. I wonder if that’s dependent on the banks. I know some people get their regular monthly benefits deposited the Friday or Monday before their actual benefit date.
I always get mine on the day of which I actually prefer.

They really are doing a great job with this. I really didn’t anticipate getting anything until Oct/Nov at best.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

When I woke up this morning I had 7k in my bank account. I was shocked as I turned in the documents yesterday afternoon. The website still shows me in step two so not positive what my new monthly payment will be but have a fairly good idea.

Fantastic!
I have found the employees at SSA to be quite on top of things but this is just lightning speed.

 

[Fermion]

What does all this mean for someone who was severely WEP'd and started taking SS 8 years ago at 62 vs an exact same person who started it today at age 70? You get 1 year of refund, so the person who started SS 8 years ago is 7 years behind the one who delayed until age 70?

 

[akck]

That is odd. So, the first larger amount isn't listed on your SSA account? Does it by chance add up to the two other deposits? I assume the deposit is ID as being from SSA?
I think I'd wait to see if it clears up over night and then make calls if it doesn't.

As anticipated my back payment posted overnight into my account.

It’s over double our combined amounts and it does come from SSA. I can’t find the deposit in either of our statements. I’m assuming they’re going to want the deposit back at some point.

 

[Teacher Terry]

So I went into my account tonight and there’s an explanation. Basically the back pay I received was WEP only and they are still processing my spousal benefits which will back pay starting 1/6 so they still owe me a couple of thousand. I’m doing the happy dance with my little doggies.

 

[Koolau]

Party over at Teacher Terry's!

 

[ronin]

Checked this morning and I received 2 lump sum payments for my WEP reduction. I am assuming the smaller is for 2025 and the larger amt. for 2024. My new monthly benefit amount is listed on my Soc Sec account now as is my wife's brand new monthly bennie amt. I never imagined WEP and GPO would be repealed and my paltry benefit would grow this large. I guess I will be remotely celebrating with all of you others in spirit.

 

[Dreamer]

My social security account went from showing suspended to active this morning. There is a check coming for the retroactive amount. I am one happy girl!

 

[Alan]

Since my application has been in limbo for many weeks (Nov 12) at step 2 waiting on an agent in Baltimore I girded my loins at 4pm my time (11am EST) and using my Skype account called the number for the Baltimore office which I expect is a general number. I was on hold for 3 hours and 16 minutes before a most helpful lady answered and after 10 minutes talking with her I believe she is going to get the application out of the bottom of the bucket it appears to be in. She said she could see no reason at all why it hadn’t been processed as they had all the information they need. She checked that all my details are correct, address in England, my UK mobile phone number etc. She said she is going to send a message to get this rolling and I should expect a benefit verification letter within 20 days or a request for more information.

Before hanging up, I made sure to tell her that I know she and her colleagues are working hard in difficult circumstances, that they are doing a great job and that I really appreciate all of their efforts. I reckon my 3+ hours on hold is nothing compared to what they are going through right now.

It was more than worth the effort of that massively long phone call, I just checked and my application is now approved. And with no WEP it is really nice.

It only took 4 days!!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Today I received a letter on the website saying what my benefits will be with spousal benefits and it’s triple what I was originally getting and 400 more than I earned on my own once WEP was eliminated so very happy!!

 

[youbet]

Looked at our checking account this morning and there was a substantial deposit from those friendly SS folks. Went to DW's SS account on line and her "suspended" status had changed to active and her earnings record showed a single payment of the amount that had been deposited into our checking account.

I printed the benefits verification letter and tried to reconcile the 2024 and 2025 monthy amounts shown there with the amount they sent. It looks like she received 12 months back pay and so should still receive another 2 months back pay (assuming her monthly checks start in March).

Her new spousal benefit is about two thirds of my current benefit. I was expecting it to be one half or so. Is that difference accounted for by the fact that I started SS at 62 and her benefit is calculated on what I would have received had I waited until FRA (66 for me)?

The promptness of this payment has been a very pleasant surprise. It's a happy day at our house!

 

[yakers]

Anyone getting GPO payments? DW was (pleasantly!) supprised withthe payment from SSA, she was getting all of $250 a month, do not know what it will be going foreward but the (I assume) backpay was nice. I wonder about the GPO provisions. She gets SSA so I just went online and applied ffor sposual benifits. It basicly said, if approved, payments would start in September 2025, don't know why the delay.
Happy to get anything but wonder if anyone on the board has received spousal benifits that were previously eliminated by the GPO? Did you have to apply or did they figure it out for you?

 

[Alan]

My wife received $7k today as back payment for her adjusted WEP. Next month she starts her new SS payments, $525 more than she has been getting. Very nice. My own SS payments start next month as well, again about $500 higher than they would have been if subjected to WEP

 

[youbet]

wonder if anyone on the board has received spousal benifits that were previously eliminated by the GPO? Did you have to apply or did they figure it out for you?

Refer to my last several posts in this thread.

DW applied for SS benefits in 2012. She was approved for both spousal benefits based on my record and personal benefits based on her own record. Spousal benefits, while approved, were zero after the GPO reduction, but she was on record as having applied. Personal benefits were reduced by WEP to about $100/month which she has been receiving.

During the SS Fairness Act rework of benefits, because she was approved for spousal benefits in 2012, she was awarded the amount she would have received as if GPO had not existed and received back pay going back to Jan, 2024. She'll now receive spousal benefits going forward. Her personal WEP rduced benefit was cancelled.

Chances are, your DW also automatically applied for spousal when she applied for SS. Check your paperwork she received at the time. Or, call SS and ask. As long as her application is there (despite the benefit having been determined to be zero due to GPO) you won't have to do anything. You have her back pay and soon her monthly spousal benefits will start.

You should be able to see her new benefit by opening the "benefits verification letter" in her SS account.

 

[zl55lz]

Anyone getting GPO payments? DW was (pleasantly!) supprised withthe payment from SSA, she was getting all of $250 a month, do not know what it will be going foreward but the (I assume) backpay was nice. I wonder about the GPO provisions. She gets SSA so I just went online and applied ffor sposual benifits. It basicly said, if approved, payments would start in September 2025, don't know why the delay.
Happy to get anything but wonder if anyone on the board has received spousal benifits that were previously eliminated by the GPO? Did you have to apply or did they figure it out for you?

If you are asking about you filing for spousal benefits on your spouse, and you never filed for benefits before on your spouse, and you are far enough past FRA, then I have been reading that these claims appear to be processed relatively fast, with the allowed retro of 6 months also paid out if requested. You mentioned it stated your benefits would start September 2025? Did you mean September 2024? That would be the 6 month retro period if requested, i.e., Sept 2024 through Feb 2025 is the 6 month retro period, then the regular payment for March 2025 which should be payable in April (if claim filed in March 2025)?

 

[dixonge]

My Mom is 89 and has never received any Social Security benefits since she taught in Texas and paid into the Teacher Retirement System there, but not SS. I don't think. Any way, for some reason she will be receiving $743/mo starting April 3. The letter she received did not mention any sort of back payments. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This amount just might mean that they won't have to move to a cheaper assisted living facility or resort to Medicaid, at least for a few more years. My dad seems to think of this as some sort of minor miracle, and I'm hard pressed to disagree...

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

My Mom is 89 and has never received any Social Security benefits since she taught in Texas and paid into the Teacher Retirement System there, but not SS. I don't think. Any way, for some reason she will be receiving $743/mo starting April 3. The letter she received did not mention any sort of back payments. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This amount just might mean that they won't have to move to a cheaper assisted living facility or resort to Medicaid, at least for a few more years. My dad seems to think of this as some sort of minor miracle, and I'm hard pressed to disagree...

I just went to my local SSA office today to inquire about my mom’s potential social security on my dad’s SSA. After failing getting through to anyone on the phone.
My mom is 95 and was a teacher in California- so no SS on her own number. My dad died 50 years ago so she should be eligible under survivor benefits but you can’t apply online to those.
Found out that they already have it in the works because she was getting Medicare on my dad’s account. Apparently the social security application was implied when she applied for Medicare. She is adamant about not having checked the box to apply back in the day because she knew that she wasn’t eligible.

Anyway the SSA employee said hers would take a little longer than others because there are more steps to take but that her benefits would go back to January 2024. Employee was limited on what she could tell me because my mom wasn’t there so I did make an appointment for us to go in next week.

Is your mom getting her Medicare through your dad’s ssn? That could be the reason and I would assume back pay is in process?
I hope that’s the case so they can stay in their current place.

I wasn’t able to set up my mom’s social security account online because she needs to verify her ID. Although she does have a Medicare account.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Today I received my back pay for the 2 months of GPO they owed me.

 

[dixonge]

Is your mom getting her Medicare through your dad’s ssn? That could be the reason and I would assume back pay is in process?
I hope that’s the case so they can stay in their current place.

As a matter of fact, her Medicare has been deducted from my dad's SS payments for I guess 25-30 years. Back pay would be nice!

 

[Alan]

My wife received $7k today as back payment for her adjusted WEP. Next month she starts her new SS payments, $525 more than she has been getting. Very nice. My own SS payments start next month as well, again about $500 higher than they would have been if subjected to WEP

Looking at her SS online account payment history it simply states that it is a one-off payment, but no details. She had been WEP'ed to the max so that $7,207 could equate to 15 months back payment (Jan '24 to April '25) at $480.47/month.

Today we see that another SS payment is going to hit our UK bank account tomorrow, approximately $4,200 so we will log onto her SS account in a couple of days to see exactly how much but we've no idea what that is for. I did get approved for my SS last week and I'm wondering if they have upped her amount based on a spouse's SS being less than 50% of the other's SS at FRA, but would this result in back payments?

 

[zl55lz]

Very impressed that they are already past 70% completed. Also impressed that they already coordinated my previous Part B payments with the coming automatic deduction and returned the appropriate Part B refund.

 

[steelyman]

I think I may have received today (3/14/25) the final deposit representing SS benefit under WEP. I’ve already received catch-up payment. I think things will increase (stabilize) starting in April 2025.

My payment is not large (because most of my working career paychecks did not include deductions for SS and Medicare) but that’s OK with me.

 

[Trailwalker]

We are cleaning up our property, getting ready to sell the house. Today, I finished a project to cut up and haul away steel roofing material that was laying around in the woods, pre-dating our purchase more than a decade ago. There was also some kind of fence that was buried beneath leaves and dirt. Took four trips with my pick-up truck and walked away with about $100 from the scrap metal place. Paid for my gas and for Friday night fish fry tonight.

 

[Koolau]

We are cleaning up our property, getting ready to sell the house. Today, I finished a project to cut up and haul away steel roofing material that was laying around in the woods, pre-dating our purchase more than a decade ago. There was also some kind of fence that was buried beneath leaves and dirt. Took four trips with my pick-up truck and walked away with about $100 from the scrap metal place. Paid for my gas and for Friday night fish fry tonight.

The proverbial silver lining to a dark cloud!

 

[FIYes]

On a somewhat related topic, a huge benefit for me is that my Medicare part B payment will now come from my Social Security. I have received a letter from SSA informing me that my back payment was for January 2024 through February 2025. I will receive a regular payment beginning April 2025 for March. Quarterly Medicare payments for April - June are due March 25. I’ve logged into Medicare to see what it says about payments owed and that part of the system is down this morning. I’m wondering if I need to pay for one month since my SSA payment won’t be until April. I’ll log in next week to double check on this, but thought I’d see if any of the knowledgeable people here had dealt with this. If there is any doubt I will go ahead and pay the Part B premium for one month. I certainly don’t want to risk a break in Medicare payments.