NORFOLK, Va. - — Chuck Brewer retired as a Norfolk Police officer after 33 years in 2005.
About five years later when he went to begin collecting social security benefits, he realized he'd be getting less than he thought.
"Based on my contribution, I'm entitled to about $500 a month and I get less than $200. After my Medicare is paid, I get $66," Brewer told News 3 recently.
Brewer does collect a pension from the city and due to that is subject to what's called the Windfall Elimination Provision.
The provision reduces the amount of benefits he receives from social security.
Brewer did not pay into social security when he was a police officer but says he did pay for about 12 years of work before and after being a police officer.
"It is fairness. In other words, I'm, not saying they owe me $1,800 or $1,200, or $800. They owe me based on my contributions," said Brewer.
Unlike some people who work in the private sector and pay into social security, some government employees earn their retirement through public pensions, not social security.
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Congress created the Windfall Elimination Provision and another one called the Government Pension Offset in the 1970s and 1980s to try and make the system more fair to people who do in fact pay into social security their whole careers.
Brewer and other retired officers believe the provisions are unfair to retired local employees like them.
They say the city should've made them aware they'd be impacted by the provision.
"The city kept us in the dark," he said.
In a statement, a city spokesperson said the city could only advise city retirees on their benefits from the city.
In 2022, the city moved employees into the Virginia Retirement System, which is covered by social security.
Nationwide, estimates say the provisions impact about 2.8 million people.
"It was absolutely startling," said Pam Alexandroff, a retired teacher from Chicago.
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Alexandroff helps spread awareness and advocates for the provisions to be repealed on a Facebook page, which has grown to more than 30,000 people.
"It's just really shocking. I'm here to represent the millions of people who are affected by the penalties," she said.
There is currently a push in Congress to repeal the provisions. A bill in the Senate has 60 co-sponsors, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), but has not advanced.
"This is a complex and sort of technical issue, but it's not complex to people who are not being treated fairly with respect to their retirement benefits," said Kaine in response to a question from News 3.
Still, opponents of repeal say it'd be too costly and would further jeopardize the future of social security.
"Eliminating the WEP and GPO would cause social security to become insolvent more than one year earlier," said Rachel Greszler from the Heritage Foundation during a Congressional hearing in April.
"Instead of bankrupting social security, police makers should implement a fair and accurate fix," said Greszler, who has advocated for Congress to change how the benefits are calculated rather than eliminate the provisions.
Brewer, who's been fighting for the change for years, is hopeful the provisions will be repealed.
"Don't take two-thirds of that from me simply because I was a public safety employee for 33 years," he said.
