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The repeal of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) will help my wife and me to do more than just survive retirement. When I retired from my 15-year teaching career in Maine, the Social Security benefits that I previously earned from my 20-year career in the Boston television market, were significantly reduced. This significant cut to my Social Security check was equal to my MainePERS benefit minus the deductions for Medicare Part B and Anthem Medicare Advantage premiums.
Thanks to the bipartisan efforts of my senator, Susan Collins, and former senator Sherrod Brown, my benefits will now be restored. This includes my ability to leave my spouse my Social Security benefit, if I pass.
I am not a unique case in education, many Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors have worked in their trade, paying into Social Security and Medicare coverage. Prior to the repeal of GPO/WEP they too, would have experienced the deduction when invoking their MainePERS pension. Also, new teachers, recruited from private industry to fill the national teacher gap shortage, would also be affected before the Act was passed and signed.
I am thankful for the work my colleagues at Maine Education Association and National Education Association did to move this issue forward over the last two-plus decades. I would also like to publicly thank Maine’s congressional and senatorial delegation with a special thanks to Senator Collins for her leadership and persistence in this matter!
Robert “Bo” Zabierek
Sherman Mills
