Linda Silva

For thirty years, I went to work everyday to a job I loved that was extremely challenging and time-consuming. It was so rewarding to know that I was positively affecting the lives of thousands of young men and women as a public high school educator. With professional advice I was advised that I should retire and would be grandfathered with the agreement we as public educators had which included an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA). Unfortunately, I never received the promised COLA and was forced to readjust my retirement budget that now barely meets my financial needs. Had I only known that my life would have been financially turned upside down, I would have continued to work in a job I loved to build up my base pay. In fact, I made an appointment and met with then Governor Raimondo to express my concerns and begged for her to give me my job back since she did not live up to our agreement. Obviously, she said she couldn't! I honestly was in deep depression, didn't sleep nights and received professional counseling due to this undue stress. Unfortunately, I will collect very little ($200 a month) in social security benefits because of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). I see and hear how others are getting social security cost of living increases and how others who never had worked can collect their spouse's benefits. We, as hard working public servants, are penalized by the government, and I am respectfully requesting that our political leaders figure out a way to give back the benefits that we public servants deserve.

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