Q. What are the chances of this outright government theft of our hard-earned Social Security benefits — the windfall elimination provision — being moved forward, through both houses of Congress, repealed and how soon?
A. The chances are the same as they’ve been for years, not that hot. One reason is that your reason for eliminating it is unsound. Before the law was changed in 1983, employees who worked in jobs not covered by Social Security, such as CSRS, had their benefits computed as if they were long-term, low-wage workers. As a result, they received the advantage of a higher percentage of Social Security benefits plus their other annuity. The modified formula used to compute the benefits of those who have fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security eliminated this windfall.