That retroactive "Social Security Fairness" check teachers were supposed to get? Don't hold your breath.
In December the House and Senate passed the Social Security Fairness Act and it was quickly signed by President Biden in front of a group of union leaders.
The back story is that public employees in over a dozen states that were entered into a public pension system like I was in Illinois no longer paid into Social Security.
But benefits earned by us prior to becoming part of the pension system would no longer be available. We were also denied Social Security spousal death benefits.
For someone like me who worked in the private sector for decades before becoming a teacher, the law denying me my earned Social Security benefits was wage theft, pure and simple.
Needless to say, we have been fighting this injustice for years.
Frankly, the repeal came as a bit of a surprise and particularly since it passed both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support.
Although my benefits have been stolen from me since I retired a dozen years ago, I would only receive back payments to January 1, 2024.
I am not happy with that, but it is what it is.
But now it seems that with all the Trump/Musk chaos in Washington, we may not ever see even that.
Social Security officials have indicated that these benefit recalculations were going to be complicated and time-consuming even without all the current chaos.
Two Trump administration moves threaten to worsen the situation.
The blanket “deferred resignation” offer made to federal workers could further hollow out the SSA’s workforce, and I’m especially concerned that older, experienced people will decide to leave. Even if budget dollars become available to replace them (which is doubtful), training new SSA employees typically takes a year or more, since there are complex systems and rules to learn.
The White House “return to work” order also will shake the SSA. When the pandemic struck, the agency pulled off the difficult feat of shifting to a 100% virtual work environment during the lockdown; later, the unions representing the SSA workforce battled the agency over the question of return to the offices. That fight ended with a contract agreement spelling out a hybrid approach, which was extended in December through 2029.
The return to work order conflicts with that agreement. It will be litigated, but the uncertainty also could contribute to further brain drain.
So, don’t expect any fairness soon.