NTEU Pitches GPO, Windfall Reform

The National Treasury Employees Union, in testimony before the House Social Security subcommittee, urged passage of legislation to address the government pension offset and windfall elimination provision, two aspects of Social Security law that the union said “have devastating effects” on retirement benefits for many federal annuitants. The former reduces spousal or survivor Social Security benefits for those drawing benefits from a retirement program that doesn’t include Social Security, such as CSRS retirement, while the latter reduces benefits of an individual who put in less than 30 years of Social Security covered-work. NTEU president Colleen Kelley said the GPO especially penalizes women, many of whom lose their entire Social Security spousal or survivor benefit.