The County of Los Angeles withdrew from participation in Social Security beginning in 1983. If you receive a retirement allowance from LACERA and are also eligible for Social Security benefits, you may be subject to one of the following reductions.
- The federal Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) applies to those who receive a retirement allowance from LACERA and also previously worked in jobs covered by Social Security.
- The federal Government Pension Offset (GPO) applies to those who receive a retirement allowance from LACERA and are also eligible for Social Security dependent benefits.
- If you are a Plan A, B, C, or D member* employed by the County prior to 1983, your LACERA retirement allowance will be reduced by a fixed dollar amount for each year of service that was covered by Social Security. See the Social Security page under your plan center (linked below) for more details.
- If you are a Plan E member, a percentage of your estimated Social Security benefit will be subtracted from your retirement allowance. See the Plan E | Social Security and Medicare page for more information.
*If you are a Safety Plan A or B member who worked for the County as a general member prior to 1983, see your prior plan for the applicable reduction.
On January 5, 2025, (former) President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, which repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). The effective date for the WEP/GPO repeal for those receiving Social Security benefits is January 2024. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will now need to recalculate benefit amounts for those affected by the WEP/GPO and determine how it can most efficiently make retroactive payments.
As of February 2025, LACERA is not aware of any implementation plan released by the SSA but will keep members apprised as we receive new information. Visit the Social Security website for agency updates on the Fairness Act.