The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) penalize people who have dedicated their lives to public service by taking away benefits they have EARNED.

• Nine out of ten public employees affected by the GPO lose their entire spousal benefit, even though their spouse paid Social Security taxes for many years.
• The WEP causes hard-working people to lose up to sixty percent of the benefits they earned themselves.
• Many workers rely on misleading Social Security Administration statements that fail to take into account the GPO and WEP when projecting benefits.

This is a national problem - there are affected people in all states.

• The impact of the GPO and WEP is not just felt in those states in which public employees like educators are not covered by Social Security. Because people move from state to state, there are affected individuals everywhere.
• The number of people impacted across the country is growing every day as more and more people reach retirement age.

The loss of income forces some people into poverty.

• Some 300,000 individuals lose an average of $3,600 a year due to the GPO - an amount that can make the difference between self-sufficiency and poverty. Impacted people have less money to spend in their local economy and sometimes have to turn to expensive government programs like food stamps to make ends meet.

We have a national teacher shortage, but the GPO and WEP discourage people from entering/ staying in the profession.

• Individuals who worked in other careers are less likely to want to become teachers if doing so will mean a loss of earned Social Security benefits. The GPO and WEP are also causing current educators to leave the profession and students to choose courses of study other than education.
• Non-Social Security states are going to find it increasingly difficult to attract quality educators as more folks learn about the GPO and WEP. The GPO and WEP don't only impact educators - other public employees like police officers and firefighters are hurt. o We should respect, not penalize, public service. Congress can take immediate action.  Congress should pass bipartisan legislation (H.R. 2638/S. 1523) - sponsored by Reps. McKeon (R-CA) and Berman (D-CA) and Sen. Feinstein - that would completely repeal the GPO and WEP.

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Printable sample letter to Congress on Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision

U.S. Senators

CHRISTOPHER S. BOND (R)
274 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-2503
202 224-5721 Fax 202 224-8149
kit-bond @bond.senate.gov
www.senate.gov/bond

U.S. Representatives

CD 1 William Lacy Clay (D)

131 Cannon Bldg Washington DC 20515

202-225-2406 Fax: 202-225-1725

CD 2 TODD AKIN (R)
501 Cannon Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2502
202 225-2561 Fax 202 225-2563
rep.akin @ mail.house.gov
www.house.gov/akin

CD 6 SAMUEL GRAVES, JR. (R)
1407 Longworth Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2506
202 225-7041 Fax 202 225-8221
sam.graves@mail.house.gov
www.house.gov/graves

CD 3 Russ Carnahan(D)

1232 Longworth Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2503

202 225-2671 Fax 202 225-7452

CD 8 JO ANN EMERSON (R)
326 Cannon Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2508
202 225-4404 Fax 202 226-0326
joann.emerson@mail.house.gov
www.house.gov/emerson

CD 4 IKE SKELTON (D)
2206 Rayburn Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2504
202 225-2876 Fax 202 225-2695
ike.skelton@mail.house.gov
www.house.gov/skelton

CD 9 KENNY HULSHOF (R)
412 Cannon Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2509
202 225-2956 Fax 202 225-5712
rep.hulshof@mail.house.gov
www.house.gov/hulshof

Also, you can e-mail your representative or senator from the NEA website www.nea.org/lac/socsec.