Firefighter stood to lose $1,300 a month from his Social Security payments all because he had a 401k from another job

The firefighter was at risk of losing $1,300 a month in his Social Security payments due to a previous job.

Chris Ferguson worked in the private sector for 18 years before pursuing his dream of becoming a firefighter.

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He has been protecting and saving citizens in the fire service for 13 years but is now unable to take early retirement due to current federal policies.

“I've got 43, so I have enough time to pay into Social Security before I take this job,” Chris told CBS News.

“I'm being penalized because I have a public pension and it's no different if I were to have a 401k working in the private sector,” he added.

“I think I would have lost about $1,300 a month indefinitely until I died.”

Federal policies, such as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) have an indirect impact on Social Security benefits if a person worked in the private sector before taking a public sector job that receives a pension.

These policies also affect teachers, police, postal workers and other public sector roles.

These rules can cut earned benefit amounts by more than half, and have angered affected workers over the years.

Chris said many of his colleagues work two jobs to “make ends meet.”

He said they should not suffer for being government employees.

The Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA) eliminates provisions that reduce benefits for those who receive other benefits such as pensions.

Congress abolished the WEP and GPO along with the SSFA last weekend.

For Chris, this means he should get his pension and Social Security benefits.

Since the 1980s, some public sector workers have seen their Social Security benefit amounts earned due to the confusing WEP rule decline sharply.

The Senate is expected to take a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act any day now, before it heads to President Trump.

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