CLEVELAND — The retirement income of more than 270,000 Ohioans could be significantly affected by U.S. Senate action in the coming weeks. In Ohio, since 1983, firefighters, police officers, teachers, and other public employees enrolled in the state Public Employees' Retirement System have not been able to collect their full Social Security benefits upon retirement. I've been working other jobs for years and paying into this system.
“If you work in the private sector, you are entitled to all of your Social Security benefits, even if you paid into a 401K or other type of retirement plan. “When members pay into the Ohio State Police and Fire Pension Fund, their Social Security benefits for themselves as well as their spouses and widows are significantly reduced,” Cleveland Firefighters Association Local 93 said. Chairman Jake Conis said.
“That causes many members to reconsider retirement when they reach that point in their lives.”
That's why Sen. Sherrod Brown, along with Maine Republican Susan Collins, introduced the Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal provisions that reduce benefits for public employees.
The windfall elimination provision, enacted in 1983, reduces Social Security benefits for workers who receive federal, state, or local pensions for employment not covered by Social Security. The Government Pension Offset Act of 1977 reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who receive pensions from the federal, state, or local governments. The Social Security Equity Act would repeal both laws and ensure that law enforcement, firefighters, teachers, park rangers, and other public sector workers and their families receive the full amount of Social Security benefits available to them. It is.
“It's going to have a big impact on me,” said Cleveland Fire Chief Sam DiVito, firefighters union treasurer. He joins the department after spending 17 years paying Social Security for two Fortune 200 companies. Not being able to max out his benefits means he ends up working longer than he would like.
“Having extra money definitely makes you feel like you might leave earlier than you originally planned,” DeVito said.
For example, the Cleveland Police Department recently raised the maximum age for recruits from 40 to 55, so it's important to keep that in mind, he says. For some, losing much of the money they paid into Social Security will be an adoption issue.
“If they hire people later in life, their pension is not going to be the same as someone who has worked in the safety forces profession for 30 years,” he said.
John Harvey, president of the Ohio Professional Firefighters Association, agrees. “The number of people entering fire and police jobs is at an all-time low, so while this may not be everything a 20-year-old is thinking about when they want to become a firefighter or police officer, this We use this as a recruiting tool and try to make sure we get people into these jobs. ”
Critics of the move point to a Congressional Budget Office report that says it would increase the budget deficit by $196 billion over the next 10 years while moving up the expiry date for Social Security by six months. That said, when it passed the House last week, all 15 members of Ohio's delegation (10 Republicans and 5 Democrats, with little agreement so far) voted in favor of it. The vote was overwhelmingly 327 to 75.
What's the problem now? calendar. There are only a few weeks left in the Senate session, and if the bill fails to pass the Senate before adjournment, Congress will cease to exist. Mr. Harvey, for his part, hopes the fact that he has support from 62 senators is a good sign that they will move forward with the plan.
“Sound policy gives you a little bit of hope that legislators are going to take it seriously and work on something that makes sense. I think this bill absolutely makes sense, and I think it's too early. I think so,” he said.
Mr. Brown and Mr. Collins joined other senators Monday in submitting a letter to Senate leadership urging them to bring the bill to a vote.
“For the first time in history, you have the opportunity to bring this bill to the finish line. “We urge you to bring the Social Security Act to the U.S. Senate for a vote on the Fairness Act (HR82),” they wrote.
