On January 5th, President Biden signed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act into law. While this law does not affect LACERS benefits, it may result in increased Social Security benefits for some LACERS Members.

The Act repeals two federal provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)—which reduced Social Security payments for many public sector retirees and survivors who received pensions from a public retirement system not requiring Social Security contributions. With the repeal, Social Security benefits for these individuals will no longer face such reductions.

The Social Security Fairness Act applies to benefits payable from January 2024 onward. The Social Security Administration is actively preparing to implement the law. For assistance or more information, Members should contact the Social Security Administration directly at (866) 964-0991 or SSA.gov. Please note that LACERS cannot address questions about Social Security benefits or the impact of the new law.