Government pension offset hurts beneficiaries

Contact your federal representatives and senators to request that they support repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.

My own Social Ssecurity retirement pension was cut by 50 percent due to a private pension fund that I received for 21 years of service from a police department. I learned that teachers, fire and police officers — anyone who had paid into a private pension fund — will have their Social Security pensions reduced!

Millions of public employees who are working in positions where they are not earning Social Security credits are unaware of the penalties ahead of them.

If you are counting on Social Security through other employment, two federal rules, the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, may leave you with a smaller Social Security benefit or possibly no benefit at all.

The Windfall Elimination Provision affects your Social Security benefit that is based on your earnings from other employment. It may reduce your Social Security benefit, but it will not eliminate it.

The Government Pension Offset affects the Social Security benefit you receive as a spouse or surviving spouse. It may reduce or eliminate your spousal Social Security benefit.

This story was originally published March 17, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Government pension offset hurts beneficiaries."