Former President Joe Biden recently signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law. While the law is expected to bring financial relief to millions of public workers, implementing it isn’t going to be quick or easy. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has shared some key details in a new FAQ, outlining the hurdles they face in rolling out these changes.
Quick Facts of Implementing the Social Security Fairness Act
| Key Issue | Details |
| Law Signed | Former President Joe Biden |
| Main Changes | Repeals of WEP and GPO provisions from 1983 amendments |
| Who Benefits? | Public workers with pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security |
| Estimated Impact | Over 3 million people could see an increase in Social Security benefits |
| Challenges | No extra funding, staffing shortages, complex manual adjustments |
| Processing Time | More than a year for full implementation |
| Call Volume Increase | 7,000+ calls per day to SSA’s national hotline |
Why Are There Delays in Implementing the Social Security Fairness Act?
One of the biggest challenges is that the law didn’t include additional funding to cover the costs of implementation. The SSA now has to adjust benefits for over 3 million people while dealing with staffing shortages and an ongoing hiring freeze. As a result, it could take more than a year for affected individuals to see the full impact on their benefits and also check new SSI Payment of $696 on February 28, 2025 from SSA.
What Changes Does the Law Make?
This law reverses two provisions from the Social Security Amendments of 1983:
- Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP): Previously reduced Social Security benefits for workers who also received a pension from an employer that didn’t withhold Social Security taxes.
- Government Pension Offset (GPO): Reduced spousal and survivor benefits for individuals whose government employment wasn’t covered by Social Security.
With these provisions repealed, more than 3 million public workers—including teachers, firefighters, and police officers—are set to receive higher Social Security benefits. While this is great news for those impacted, critics argue that it could strain the Social Security trust fund, potentially depleting it six months sooner than the current projection of 2035.
What to Expect Moving Forward?
Since the law is retroactive, the SSA must not only adjust future benefits but also recalculate past payments. However, this is a massive undertaking that requires manual case-by-case processing. According to the SSA:
- Benefits paid through December 2023 were still calculated under the old rules.
- Benefits for January 2024 and beyond will reflect the new changes.
- It may take over a year to process retroactive payments.
Meanwhile, call volumes have skyrocketed, with over 7,000 people dialing the SSA’s national hotline daily. Long wait times are expected as local offices struggle to handle the influx of inquiries.
Who Will See a Benefit Increase?
It’s important to note that not every public worker will get a higher Social Security benefit. Only those receiving a pension from jobs not covered by Social Security will see an increase. In fact, about 72% of state and local public workers already pay into Social Security and won’t be affected by these changes.
Estimated Timeline for Benefit Adjustments
The SSA has not provided a clear timeline for when past or future benefits will be fully adjusted. They are still working on automated solutions to speed up the process. For now, they will continue updating the public through their website.
FAQs
1. When will I see my Social Security benefit increase?
Since the SSA must manually process many cases, it could take more than a year for all retroactive and future payments to be adjusted.
2. Does this law impact all public employees?
No. Only workers who receive a pension from jobs not covered by Social Security will see a benefit increase. Those who already pay into Social Security won’t be affected.
3. How can I check if my benefits will change?
The SSA advises checking their website for updates. You can also contact their national hotline, though wait times may be long due to high call volumes.
4. Will this law affect the future of Social Security?
Some experts argue that removing WEP and GPO could cost the Social Security trust fund nearly $200 billion over 10 years and may push insolvency six months earlier than the current 2035 projection.