Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund

The Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund would like to recognize State Representative Will Metcalf for his steadfast support of our brave Houston firefighters.

Representative Metcalf has consistently been one of our strongest and most vocal allies in the Texas Legislature. He stood side by side with us in 2017 when it mattered most, and in subsequent legislative sessions he carried important bills intended to strengthen and protect the retirement security of Houston firefighters.

Representative Metcalf understands that retirement security is not just about numbers on a page — it’s about keeping our promises to the firefighters and families who have dedicated their lives to protecting Houston.

We are grateful for his continued leadership, his partnership with us, and his commitment to doing what is right for Houston firefighters.

Attendees at the TEXPERS Legislative Advocacy Training in Austin last week learned from seasoned professionals like Stephanie Chiarello, the chief of staff for Texas Representative Bobby Guerra from McAllen. Chiarello offered advice for interactions with staffers, which field most of the issue-oriented questions and concerns from district members. From left are TEXPERS Board Members John Jenkins, Kolby Beckham and Tyler Grossman. In the center is Stephanie Chiarello, the Chief of Staff for Texas Representative Bob Guerra of McAllen; TEXPERS Board Member and SAFPFF Trustee James Smith, and Gerard Daniels, Trustee on the Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund.

Attention HFRRF members who have private sector work experience that will qualify for social security benefits, here is a useful link that will be of interest relative to the recent elimination of WEP and GPO. We understand it will be updated periodically by the Social Security Administration. Again, please direct any questions you may have regarding this subject to the SSA.
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html?

Social Security Fairness Act: Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) update | SSA Social Security Fairness Act: Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) update

Due to inclement weather coming into the Houston region, we are postponing our board meeting from tomorrow to next Tuesday, and our offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. If possible, we will have staff working remotely on Wednesday, available to handle phone calls and emails from our members. Stay warm and safe!

Greetings and Happy Holidays to all our members, both active and retired. While we are very excited about the Congressional repeal of WEP and GPO, we have no specifics about how the Social Security Administration is going to implement the change. As we understand it, this change will have no impact on your HFRRF retirement benefits. As more information becomes available, we will be sharing that, but please refrain from calling our staff as we have no way of knowing the details of your benefits from Social Security. Thanks, Merry Christmas!

From our Chairman:

HR 82 has passed and will officially eliminate WEP and Goverment pension offset.

The pension office has been in contact for years with lawmakers past and current to get WEP eliminated for our firefighters. Last night around midnight it finally happened.

The legislation has been decades in the making but the push to pass it came together in the final weeks — and was completed in the final minutes — that lawmakers were in Washington before Congress resets next year. All Senate Democrats, as well as 27 Republicans, voted for the bill, giving it a final tally of 76-20.

Firefighters should see a higher benefit shortly after President Biden signs the bill into law (which he has agreed to do before leaving office).

Merry Christmas,
Brett

Congress is closer than ever to actually repealing the WEP and GPO rules on Social Security. While there may still be a procedural hurdle or two, the Senate is scheduled to take a vote on Monday. On behalf of all our current and future retirees, HFRRF has communicated with both Senators Cornyn and Cruz our strong support for the repeal.

Send a message to learn more

HFRRF will close at noon on Friday and remain closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Have a great weekend!