This letter is intended to correct a misconception that was stated in a letter to the Cape Gazette that appeared Sept. 9 concerning the Windfall Elimination Provision. The WEP reduces the Social Security retirement benefit for those workers who are receiving a Civil Service Retirement System benefit.
While Mr. Myers presents a correct summary of the intent of the provision, his statement that WEP prevents benefits going to "people who paid little or no amounts into the [Social Security] system" is incorrect. To obtain a Social Security retirement benefit, any worker (including CSRS workers) must have recorded 40 quarterly work credits into Social Security.
For example, a federal Department of Defense worker (me) worked 30 years in CSRS, obtaining a pension. That same person (me again) worked over 10 years (before and after federal employment) and paid Social Security taxes on that employment to earn a Social Security benefit. However, that worker's monthly Social Security retirement benefit is reduced roughly by half by the WEP because that worker is also earning another pension benefit (CSRS).
Is it fair to penalize people who work hard and contribute their taxes into a system to earn a future full benefit from that system, just because they earned another benefit from another system? Who knows – it is the law and it doesn't look like it's going to change.
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