Kelly, Gallego’s Social Security Expansion for Teachers, Firefighters, and Police Officers in Effect
Kelly and Gallego supported the Social Security Fairness Act, pushing to speed up payments for public servants
This week, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced it will immediately begin issuing retroactive payments and increasing monthly Social Security benefits for about 45,000 Arizona firefighters, teachers, police officers, and other public servants whose benefits were unfairly reduced or eliminated by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
The changes result from the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, a Kelly and Gallego cosponsored bill passed in December. The law restores full Social Security benefits for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other state and local public servants by repealing two provisions of existing law that unfairly reduce the Social Security benefits that public employees receive. Just this week, Kelly and Gallego sent a letter in support of additional funding for the Social Security Administration to speed up implementation and prevent delays in processing benefit adjustments.
“This is huge news for teachers, firefighters, and police officers in Arizona who have paid the price for a broken system and been unfairly denied the benefits they earned,” said Kelly. “Now, they’re finally getting the Social Security benefits they deserve, with back pay going out this month and bigger monthly checks starting in April. I’ll keep pushing to make sure these payments go out quickly.”
“Arizona’s firefighters, police officers, and other public servants represent the best of us. It was unacceptable that they weren’t able to get the benefits they earned and paid into for years. I’m proud to have fought fix this injustice, and I’m even more excited to see that they’re finally getting the benefits and pay they deserve again,” said Gallego.
Background on the Social Security Fairness Act
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduced or eliminated Social Security benefits for over 3.2 million public servants, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers, simply because they received a pension from a job that did not pay into Social Security. WEP, enacted in 1983, reduced benefits for those who worked in non-Social Security-covered jobs but also paid into the system through other employment. GPO, enacted in 1977, slashed spousal and survivor benefits by two-thirds, often eliminating them entirely. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law in January 2025, repealed both provisions, ensuring affected public servants receive full benefits. Retroactive payments will be issued by the end of March and higher monthly benefits will begin in April. SSA will notify recipients of their updated benefits, with most receiving retroactive payments before their official notice arrives by mail.
While SSA is expediting payments, staff shortages and chronic underfunding could delay full implementation. To prevent delays, Kelly is pushing for additional SSA funding to ensure timely processing of payments and avoid diverting resources from other essential services.
