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<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk161057670"></a><a name="_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><img width="197" height="75" id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image001.png@01DB716D.B5107450" alt="A blue text on a black background
Description automatically generated"></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">January 28, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></p>
<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="729" style="width:547.0pt;margin-left:-4.5pt;border-collapse:collapse">
<tbody>
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<td width="103" valign="top" style="width:77.6pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.4pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">To:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
</td>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span></span>
<td width="626" valign="top" style="width:469.4pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:19.4pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Department Benefits Representatives (DBRs)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
</td>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span></span>
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<td width="103" valign="top" style="width:77.6pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.95pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">From:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
</td>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span></span>
<td width="626" valign="top" style="width:469.4pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:19.95pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Central HR Benefits Office on behalf of UC Office of the President<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span></span>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.0pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Re:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span></span>
<td width="626" valign="top" style="width:469.4pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:22.55pt">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span></span></td>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span></span>
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<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161057670"></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk161058449"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">DBRs, please share this information via your internal listserv.
<u>Do not reply to this email.</u> Please<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">send a separate email with questions to
</span></b><a href="mailto:benefits@ucr.edu"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">benefits@ucr.edu</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">With the recent announcement to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, UCOP offers the following information for general knowledge and for
those who may be impacted by these changes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Most members of the UC Retirement Plan (UCRP) or those who participate in the Savings Choice plan make contributions towards and earn benefits from Social Security through
their employment with UC. However, not all UCRP members have the same access to Social Security benefits during retirement, as some of our members do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their salary. These UCRP participants are commonly referred
to as “non-coordinated” members, and include employees such as Police and Firefighters (Safety) and individuals who elected to forgo participation in Social Security when it was first made available at UC during the 1970s.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Prior to January 6, 2025, these members were subject to a federal law known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which limited Social Security benefits for anyone in
a “non-coordinated” position unless they had 30 or more years of “substantial earnings” from a different job where Social Security taxes had been collected. <b><i>This law <u>did not impact any UCRP benefits</u>, nor did the WEP reduce their Social Security
benefits for members who are “coordinated” (paying into Social Security).</i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Additionally, these non-coordinated members could be subject to the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which applied to those who receive a government pension that is based on
employment not covered by Social Security and who are eligible for Social Security benefits as a spouse or a surviving spouse. <b><i>Similar to the WEP, the <u>GPO provisions did not impact UCRP benefits</u> and/or members whose employment has always been
covered by Social Security</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Both the WEP and GPO were repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law by President Biden on January 6, 2025. The change in the law is retroactive to benefits
paid in 2024. It is currently unclear how long it will take the Social Security Administration to fully implement its provisions and pay retroactive benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">The </span><a href="https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/forms/pdf/ucrs-419.pdf" title="https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/forms/pdf/ucrs-419.pdf"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">UCRS
419 form</span></b></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">, which was intended to comply with Section 419(c) of Public Law 108-203, which mandated that employers inform employees about the potential reduction in their Social Security
benefits due to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), <b>will no longer need to be provided to employees as these benefit reductions will no longer apply</b>. The UCRS 419 form will be removed and retired from the UCnet
website.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Employees or Retirees looking for more information can </span><a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html" title="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">read
the Social Security Administration’s update on the new law</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> or </span><a href="https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/" title="https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">contact</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> the
agency directly or </span><a href="https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp" title="https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">search</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> for
a local office.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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