More than three million Americans are projected to see an increase in their monthly benefits due to a new law enacted last month – the Social Security Fairness Act.

This law ends the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) impacting some retirees who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security. My office has heard from many public service employees over the years negatively impacted by these policies.

As it begins to be implemented, officials from the Social Security Administration (SSA) have noted it could take more than a year to fully adjust benefits due to the complexity of making changes for three million people.

In the meantime, anyone who currently receives SSA benefits and believes they may be impacted by this law should make sure their mailing address and/or direct deposit information is up to date with the SSA. The easiest way to do this is online at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

If you have never applied for SSA retirement, spousal, or surviving spouse's benefits because of WEP or GPO, you may need to file an application at www.ssa.gov/apply.

More information about this change and updates from the SSA can be found here: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html

As always, if you have trouble finding information you need about this or any other federal government program, feel free to reach out to my office for assistance. My staff and I are happy to serve as a resource and ask questions on your behalf.