Windfall and Offset: Don't Believe the Hype

John Grobe, a retirement instructor at training firm FPMI who also managed the retirement program in a large office of a federal agency for many years, isn't impressed with the latest effort to repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision, which limit some federal retirees' Social Security benefits. In FPMI's FedNews OnLine, he notes the following:

Identical legislation has been introduced in every session of Congress since the offending penalty and offset have been in existence (21 years and counting.) In fact, in the last session of Congress, over 2/3 of the Representatives signed on as co-sponsors. If it’s so popular, why isn’t it law?

His answer? "It doesn’t cost a Representative anything to put his or her name on a bill as a co-sponsor." So true. As is the case with so many other legislative efforts, the introduction of the bill (and, if groups representing feds are really lucky, subsequent hearings) are not a means to an end (that is, a change in the law), but an end in themselves. The mere demonstration of interest is supposed to be enough to appease federal employees and retirees. Actually passing what would be a pretty expensive measure remains unlikely.