In January, President Donald Trump nominated Frank Bisignano for the position of commissioner, and in May, he was formally appointed as SSA commissioner. After taking the position, several remarkable changes took place in the administration of SSA. The SSA has significantly sped up the payment and application process for the benefits under the Social Security Fairness Act.
It is estimated that more than 99% of claims are already in processing, and most of the applications are processed by utilizing automation. These changes increase the efficiency of the SSA and ensure that people get their payments on time. The SSA states that they will be on track to complete all adjustments by early November 2025.
Government Speeds Up Social Security Fairness Act Payments
The SSA sped up the process of payments under the Social Security Fairness Act through automation. Many of the affected cases need to be processed manually because they involve complicated adjustments, but they are still handled fairly and quickly. If you qualify for the SSFA payments, it is important to know that most claims have already been processed.
With the Social Security Fairness Act, the modified federal laws removed GOP and WEP, which allow retirees to receive the full benefits that they receive according to their work history, which they contributed to Social Security. If you still do not receive any updates, then read this entire article to understand the key details about the Social Security Fairness Act Payments.
Overview of the Social Security Fairness Act
| Article On | Government Speeds Up Social Security Fairness Act Payments: What Seniors Need to Know |
| Country | United States |
| Department | Social Security Administration |
| Program Name | Social Security Fairness Act |
| Beneficiary | Americans affected by GPO and WEP |
| Amount | As per eligibility |
| Category | Government Aid |
| Official Website | ssa.gov |
What is the Social Security Fairness Act?
On January 5, 2025, the Social Security Fairness Act came into effect and eliminated two major provisions that reduced aids to certain public workers, including the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Several recent federal laws have restored full Social Security payments to the retirees of the public sector in the United States. The Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision have previously decreased the payments of social security benefits for the civic sector.
This new legislation came into effect from January 2025, which represents a wide change for approximately 2.8 million retirees. These retirees have already started receiving backdated social security payments, and most of the cases have been processed through automation, and some complicated cases are done manually.
Eligibility criteria for the Social Security Fairness Act
The change in restored federal laws does not apply to all the public sector retirees, but to a particular sector of employees who receive a pension for work which do not covered under the social security. The main beneficiaries who are affected by these new federal laws are:
- Police and firefighters
- State and local teachers in certain states
- Those people who receive their pensions from foreign social security systems.
- Federal workers under the Civil Service Retirement System.
It is estimated that the Social Security Administration covers 72% of state and local employees, so these employees are not affected by these new laws.
How much will be received under the Social Security Fairness Act?
The SSFA payment is affected by several factors, which include the type of social security benefit and pension that the individual receives. As per the SSA website, a small increase in the social security benefits is noticed by some people. While an increment of more than $1,000 in the social security monthly check is seen by some of the recipients.
Therefore, a small increase in the benefits will support the Americans who encounter the challenges because of the increasing inflation rate and cost of living. The Social Security Administration is allotting backdated social security payments from February 2025 and expects to complete all the payments by early November 2025. For most, the recipient starts receiving this retroactive amount together with new monthly increases.
What challenges did the Social Security Administration face in implementing SSFA?
The SSA department uses automation for processing these cases smoothly. The commissioner, Frank Bisignano, said all the payments were completed on time as they aim to finish all the cases sooner than the target of early November.
These targets come with several challenges. The employees of SSA decided to handle 900,000 complicated Social Security Fairness Act cases manually. This aim slowed down several other services, like dealing with Medical billing and updating direct deposit information. To complete these tasks, some employees work on weekends, but delays remain for some beneficiaries.
Final Thoughts
The changes in the Social Security Fairness Act have removed two rules GOP and WEP, that allow retirees to receive the backdated social security payments from February 2025. These laws widely impact the 2.8 million retirees in the US. On May 17, 2025, the Commissioner of SSA answered that they have completed most of the SSFA payments and there are still need to process around 3,100 more SSFA payments. To receive the benefits, it is important to stay alert with updates, and to get more information, you can check the official website of the SSA.
| Official Website | Click Here |
| Homepage | Moyle-Council.org |
FAQs
What should you do if your SSFA payment hasn’t arrived yet?
If your payment is delayed or you do not receive your payments on the expected date, then you can contact the department of SSA department at 1-800-772-1213.
When will the Social Security Fairness Act be implemented?
On January 5, 2025, the act was signed into law and applies retroactively to January 2024.
Where can you find the latest updates on the Social Security Fairness Act?
To know the accurate and latest information about the Social Security Fairness Act, one can visit the Social Security Administration.
