Year in Review: Our Top Articles of 2025

As the year wraps up, we’re taking a look back at the articles that captured the attention of PERA On The Issues readers in 2025. Here are our most-read articles of the year.

1. Congress passes Social Security Fairness Act and repeals WEP and GPO

Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) have long been topics of interest to PERA On The Issues readers. It’s no surprise that news about Congress passing the Social Security Fairness Act, which repealed both WEP and GPO, drew a great deal of attention. Our articles on the bill’s signing, initial estimates that the bill would take a year or more to implement, and then the announcement that the Social Security Administration was expediting benefit processing together accounted for more than a quarter of all visits to the blog this year.

2. IRS updates contribution limits and other tax provisions for 2026

With 2025 winding down, many people are already looking ahead to 2026 and making financial preparations for the new year. Our article highlighting inflation adjustments for retirement plan contribution limits, health savings accounts, tax brackets, and other tax provisions quickly became one of our most-read articles of the year.

3. Lawmakers propose and pass PERA-related legislation

During the 2025 legislative session, state lawmakers introduced seven bills that pertained to Colorado PERA, and our article tracking those bills throughout the session was the second most popular article of the year. Of those seven bills, four passed and became law.

4. New tax deduction for seniors included in federal legislation

The tax and spending bill commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) included a new tax deduction for older Americans that takes effect for the 2025 tax year. The deduction—up to $6,000 per eligible taxpayer—applies to taxpayers who are 65 or older and begins to phase out for individuals with modified adjusted gross income over $75,000.

5. The OBBBA makes changes to health and food assistance programs

In addition to the new senior tax credit, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made changes to federal assistance programs like SNAP and Medicaid. In particular, the bill established stricter guidelines for who can qualify for assistance under those programs. It also changed some enrollment processes for people who shop for health insurance on their own instead of receiving coverage through an employer.

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