Washington, D.C. – President Joe Biden signed into law on Sunday a measure that repeals legal provisions which had long restricted around 2.5 million people, including tens of thousands of teachers and police officers from Puerto Rico, among others, from fully accessing Social Security benefits.
The new law will also enable some beneficiaries to receive thousands of dollars in reimbursements, according to President Biden. The majority of those who will benefit are retired individuals who had not been able to fully access Social Security.
Victor Bonilla Sánchez, president of the Puerto Rico Teachers’ Association, had previously told this media outlet that the legislative initiative could benefit between 30,000 and 35,000 teachers in the archipelago, including around 10,000 who are currently active in the public system but primarily access Social Security through second jobs. Thousands more have been policemen, nurses, and other public employees.
"[The proposal is] simple: Americans who have worked hard all their lives to make an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity," said Biden, during an event at the White House. In a ceremony attended by legislators and activists, the president stated that "Social Security is the cornerstone of financial security for retirees, survivors, and millions of Americans with disabilities."
The project will eliminate language that reduces Social Security payments to individuals receiving a public pension from a job not covered by the program, but who gained access through other employment. This was the case for many public employees in Puerto Rico until recently.
The legislation also seeks to prevent reductions of two-thirds in survivor benefits for spouses receiving a government pension and not covered by Social Security in that employment.
Bette Marafino, president of the Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans, expressed that the legislation is the result of several years of work. Around 110,000 signatures were sent to the federal government in favor of the legislation, which was adopted at the end of 2024 by both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support.
"Many teachers in Puerto Rico would be given justice because pensions are low," Bonilla Sánchez said recently.
According to the president of the Teachers’ Association, public school teachers in Puerto Rico –who began contributing to Social Security in 2022– could have obtained the program’s credits through other jobs, including teaching night classes. "There are teachers who worked at night schools or had second jobs, and they paid Social Security," he added.
In November, the authors of the legislation, Republican Garrett Graves of Louisiana and Democratic Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, indicated in the House of Representatives, "For more than 40 years, Social Security trust funds have been artificially bolstered with stolen benefits, paid by millions of Americans that their families deserve. The time to end this theft is now."
The legislation was approved in the House of Representatives, 327-75, and in the Senate, 76-20. Leader of the Democratic majority, Charles Schumer (New York), stated that the final approval of the measure would be a "great gift to firefighters, police officers, postal workers, teachers, and other retirees who, for years, contributed to Social Security but are now being penalized due to their public service time."
