Law coauthored by Senator Collins will deliver benefit adjustments and retroactive payments to more than 3 million Americans, including more than 26,000 in Maine
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins praised the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) announcement that this week it will begin issuing retroactive payments dating back to January 2024 and adjusting benefit levels for those whose monthly Social Security payments were reduced due to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO)—two provisions that have unfairly lowered the retirement benefits of many public employees and their spouses. Senator Collins, along with former Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), coauthored the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA) that repealed the WEP and GPO. The bill was signed into law last month.
According to the SSA, approximately 3.2 million Americans are due benefit adjustments or retroactive payments under the SSFA. The agency says that retroactive payments will begin depositing into bank accounts in the coming months.
“This is welcome news for beneficiaries of the Social Security Fairness Act. I am glad that the Social Security Administration has announced that it will begin issuing retroactive benefits and will increase monthly benefit payments to those affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. I will continue to urge SSA to implement the law swiftly as we finally right this wrong,” Senator Collins said.
Senator Collins recently joined 27 of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the acting commissioner of the SSA calling for the immediate implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act.
The SSA also noted that because retroactive payments are being expedited, beneficiaries may receive their payment before receiving an explanatory notice. The agency urges beneficiaries to wait until after receiving their April benefit payment before inquiring about the timeline for their benefit adjustments.
Additionally, while most cases will be processed automatically, some will require manual processing, which may delay adjustments. The SSA will provide more details on the timeline for these manual cases in the coming weeks.
Updates on the SSA’s implementation of this law, including a subscription link to receive all future updates, are available here.
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