House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., demanded Friday that the Social Security Administration deliver "clear guidance" on how it will deliver "immediate relief" now that the Social Security Fairness Act is law.
"With a full repeal of Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) now signed into law, the Social Security Administration (SSA) must provide Congress and the public with clear guidance on how it will deliver immediate relief to those who have been impacted by the flawed WEP and GPO," Smith along with Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Ron Estes, R-Kansas, told SSA Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin in a letter.
“The Committee on Ways and Means has devoted significant time and attention to examining the WEP and GPO, two flawed policies that impact the Social Security benefits of millions of public servants throughout the country, including holding two hearings on these provisions during the 118th Congress," the lawmakers wrote.
"While the Social Security Fairness Act did not benefit from the technical refinements that result from committee consideration, its passage is a clear, bipartisan, and overwhelming representation of the will of Congress. As such, we are committed to ensuring that the Social Security Administration (SSA) implement the law as quickly and as smoothly as possible to provide needed and timely relief to those who have been unfairly harmed by these policies,” the lawmakers said.
The lawmakers request feedback from SSA by Jan. 17 on how it plans to implement the Social Security Fairness Act and what, if any, action affected beneficiaries will have to take to ensure that their benefits are properly adjusted and that any additional benefits are paid appropriately.
They also want to know how and when the SSA will provide notice to those affected beneficiaries, and how long it will take the SSA to fully implement the new law.
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