Why were Social Security benefits reduced?
If you received a retirement benefit from TRSL and you were also eligible for Social Security benefits from other employment, your Social Security benefit might have been reduced according to federal regulations. Your TRSL benefit was not reduced.

What type of Social Security benefits were impacted?
There are two types of Social Security benefits. The type of benefit you received determined the formula used to calculate the reduction to your Social Security benefit:

• An earned benefit is paid to people who worked at other jobs where they paid Social Security taxes long enough to earn a Social Security benefit. It might have been subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduction.
• A spouse's or widow(er)'s benefit is paid to spouses or surviving spouses of Social Security pensioners if those spouses did not work long enough under Social Security to have earned their own benefit or their earned benefit is less than their spouse's benefit. The spouse's benefit is generally one-half of the benefit paid to the Social Security pensioner, and might have been subject to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduction.​​​​​​​

How do I know if I was impacted by the WEP and GPO?
Only the Social Security Administration can answer that question.

Will the repeal of the WEP and GPO be retroactive?
The changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2023.

How will retroactive reductions be repaid?
Only the Social Security Administration can answer that question.

Can I make an appointment with the Social Security Administration?
Yes. Beginning Jan. 6, 2025, SSA started requiring appointments for visits to local Social Security offices. To find the phone number for your local office and make an appointment, please click here.