SSA’s Views on Windfall, Offset

A recent Senate hearing on reducing or repealing the government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions of Social Security law raised hopes that Congress will address the long-running issue in this session, especially since Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, head of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, has taken up the cause. However, Social Security Administration commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart repeated long-standing objections to changing the provisions based on cost and equity with the private sector, and said that any changes in those provisions be made as part of a general overhaul of Social Security-a task Congress seems unlikely to undertake anytime soon. For a closer look at her statement, go to https://www.fedweek.com/HotFreeNews/default.asp in the hot free info section of our website.