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By Aliss Higham
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued an update for those who have not yet received expanded benefits following the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act earlier this year.
Why It Matters
Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill—the Social Security Fairness Act—that repealed two provisions that limited retirement benefits for certain workers, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers, some federal employees, and their spouses. Some 2.8 million people are now eligible for full Social Security benefits.
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While 91 percent of the those impacted are now receiving full benefits, there are still some "complex cases" that are taking longer to update. The SSA confirmed in April that it has already paid over $14.8 billion in retroactive payments to those impacted.
What To Know
The Social Security Fairness Act repealed two provisions: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
The WEP reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who receive pensions from public-sector jobs—such as those held by state and federal employees—that did not require Social Security payroll tax contributions.
This reduction applied even if they contributed to Social Security through other employment and qualified for benefits. The GPO reduced spousal or survivor benefits for retired federal, state, and local government workers who did not pay into Social Security funds through their payroll taxes.
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Updated benefit amounts, as well as retroactive payments back to December 2023, began in April. But the SSA has confirmed that while more than 90 percent of cases are complete, there are still some outstanding that could not be processed as quickly due to their complexity.
"For the many complex cases that cannot be processed automatically, additional time is required to manually update the records and pay both retroactive benefits and the new benefits amount," the SSA said in an update on its website. "We are expediting these cases now."
If you are still awaiting your payment, you will receive a notice from the SSA about it.
Payment Delays
According to a report in USA Today, the newly appointed SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano wants SSA staff to have every outstanding Social Security Fairness Act claim resolved by July 1, with staff directed to prioritize these claims over other customer requests and queries.
Some employees have reportedly been offered overtime to work Saturdays and Sundays until the issue is resolved.
Newsweek contacted the SSA for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
What People Are Saying
The SSA said in an April 29 press release: "SSA has made significant strides in implementing the Social Security Fairness Act, having paid over $14.8 billion in retroactive payments to more than 2.2 million individuals affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. Under President [Donald] Trump's leadership, the agency's original estimate of taking a year or more to issue payments now will apply to only complex cases that cannot be processed by automation."
What Happens Next
The SSA said on its website that retroactive payments and newly adjusted benefit amounts are being released "as we process each case" with the expectation that "all beneficiary records will be updated by early November 2025."
Are you a Social Security worker with information to share on the Social Security Fairness Act backlog? Get in touch with a.higham@newsweek.com
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