Because public school teachers have state pension funds that they pay into in lieu of social security. Of course many states borrow from this fund and then never pay it back (this is an increasingly big concern for my parents in CT who retired in the early 2000s). The teacher funds tend to be better than SS...if they still exist when you need them.

I echo that "WHAT?". I totally didn't realize that. Why on earth not? Are there any other professions that don't?

I think it's that anyone who has a public pension plan doesn't get social security. I've heard about this creating problems for people who've worked as teachers for a while and also other jobs for a while, that they're not allowed to get the social security benefits from the other jobs if they're also collecting the pension from the teaching jobs after they retire, but I'm not sure about how all the details work there.

Because public school teachers have state pension funds that they pay into in lieu of social security.

Oh, that makes sense. It sounded like some shifty fuck-you to teachers (and if the pension funds get emptied by the states and not paid back, then I guess it would be).

I didn't understand that -- I thought everyone employed paid into SS. (Well, you know, in a job that doesn't pay under the table or barter for a pig or something.)

I'm amazed at how I don't know some of the most basic things. Jeez.

At airport. Sad now.

I don't qualify for social security either - because I have a pension from the state.

I thought everyone employed paid into SS. (Well, you know, in a job that doesn't pay under the table or barter for a pig or something.)

I did too! Even when I had a job that paid under the table, so to speak (under the table dance? more like over it) I paid taxes and paid into SS. So I could establish credit.

Is it okay to take 1200 mg of Tylenol, 800 mg of Advil, and 10 mg of Valium at the same time? Hope so, because I just did. That's the only thing that stops my back hurting on days like this. (PMS = back spasms. Oh, how I enjoy being a girl.)

I think it's that anyone who has a public pension plan doesn't get social security. I've heard about this creating problems for people who've worked as teachers for a while and also other jobs for a while, that they're not allowed to get the social security benefits from the other jobs if they're also collecting the pension from the teaching jobs after they retire

Hil is completely correct with this. I worked for 20 year in corporate America, paid into SS. When I became a teacher, I had to sign a waiver giving up my SS benefits because I was now paying into a pension fund. When I retire from teaching, I won't qualify for full pension benefits because I started teaching so late. I would need to work until I was 71 or something to get full benefits. As a result, I *MAY* get a small percentage of my SS benefits. Depends on whatever the law is at that time.

Jeebus, ChiKat. I would have thought it would be prorated somehow. That's insane.

My parents had state pensions (MI teachers) and also got social security. They paid into both.

The current law does have prorated, but not one that will actually benefit anyone at this point. By the time I retire, the law could change and it would depend on what the law is at that time.