Senator Collins’ Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of the Social Security Fairness Act being Signed into Law

Click HERE to watch and HERE to download a video message from Senator Collins celebrating the one-year anniversary of the SSFA becoming law.

Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of the SSFA being signed into law last January.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins released the following statement today recognizing the one-year anniversary of the Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA) being signed into law. Senator Collins coauthored the SSFA with former Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

“Since the Social Security Fairness Act became law, benefits have increased for 2.8 million Americans. More than 25,000 Mainers have seen their earned benefits restored. In addition, Mainers received nearly $185 million in retroactive payments for last year.

“I fought for this bill for two decades because our dedicated public servants, such as our teachers who help prepare our children for future success, or our police officers and firefighters who help keep our communities safe, should receive the full Social Security benefits that they have earned. I am so glad that this has finally become a reality for millions of Americans.”

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Prior to the SSFA being signed into law, more than 25,000 Mainers who dedicated their lives to public service were prevented from receiving the full Social Security benefits they earned due to two laws from the 1970s and 1980s. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), enacted in 1983, reduced the Social Security benefits of workers who receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government for employment not covered by Social Security. The Government Pension Offset (GPO), enacted in 1977, reduced Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government.

After the signing of the SSFA in January of last year, Senators Collins and Brown sent a letter to the former Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Carolyn Colvin requesting that the SSA swiftly implement the Social Security Fairness Act. Following their letter, the Social Security Administration fully implemented the law, adjusting benefits for 2.8 million Americans. That includes more than 25,000 Mainers who saw their benefits increase. Additionally, those Mainers have been issued more than $184.5 million in retroactive payments.

Senator Collins held the first Senate hearing on this policy in 2003 as Chair of the Senate Government Affairs Committee. She, along with the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, first introduced the Social Security Fairness Act in 2005.

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