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The Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is holding a hearing on the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) on Tuesday, November 6. Though we have anticipated a hearing on the House legislation to repeal these two provisions that negatively affect so many Texas school employees, that hearing has not yet been scheduled.
TCTA will be providing testimony to the subcommittee, and comments from individuals are also welcomed. To submit a written statement, please follow the committee instructions precisely:
Statements for the Record: Any individual or organization wanting to present their views for inclusion in the hearing record should submit a typewritten, single-spaced statement, not exceeding 10 pages in length. Title and date of the hearing and the full name and address of the individual or organization must appear on the first page of the statement. (TCTA note: the title of the hearing is “GPO and WEP: Policies Affecting Pensions from Work Not Covered by Social Security”.) Statements must be received no later than two weeks following the conclusion of the hearing.
Statements should be mailed (not faxed) to:
Senate Committee on Finance
Attn. Editorial and Document Section
Rm. SD-203
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200b
Statements from educators with personal experience can be very compelling, and we encourage our members to write in. Let the committee know how the Government Pension Offset (which reduces/eliminates spousal benefits) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (which reduces benefits that you earned through your own participation in Social Security) will affect you.
Do’s and Don’ts:
DO put an approximate dollar amount, if possible, on the potential impact you will feel from the GPO and/or WEP.
DO relay any personal stories you’re aware of, in addition to your own, regarding other individuals who are affected by the GPO/WEP.
DO note that unlike Social Security, the pension received through the Texas Teacher Retirement System does not provide automatic cost-of-living increases. Educators who are rendered ineligible for benefits by the GPO are further impacted over time by the loss of Social Security benefits.
DO point out that the GPO effectively eliminates any spousal Social Security benefit for most veteran Texas educators, a benefit that is not even reduced for spouses who are not in the workforce at all.
DO mention how the WEP hurts efforts to recruit teachers from other states and other professions, and can provide a nasty surprise to such teachers who do enter the profession unaware of the consequences.
DO express your support for S 206, the Senate legislation to repeal the GPO and WEP, and encourage the committee to take action on the bill.
DON’T forget that other public servants, including many police officers and firefighters, are also affected by these provisions.
DON’T send a statement with inaccuracies. For example, it’s not accurate to say that someone who paid into Social Security for at least 40 quarters before entering a Texas classroom will not receive Social Security benefits; rather, that person will receive a reduced benefit because of the WEP.
DON’T send your statement before proofreading carefully for grammar and spelling errors.
We will keep our members informed of any further action taken by this subcommittee or its House counterpart.
Web posted: 11/02/07
