A bill co-authored by McLean-area Rep. Don Beyer that swaps confusing Social Security jargon for plain-English labels passed the Senate on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and now awaits President Trump's signature.

The Claiming Age Clarity Act, H.R. 5284, cleared the Senate by unanimous consent, according to Beyer's office. Beyer, a Democrat who represents Virginia's 8th Congressional District including McLean and Great Falls, introduced the bill with Rep. Lloyd Smucker, a Pennsylvania Republican.

The legislation does not change benefit amounts or eligibility ages. It requires the Social Security Administration (SSA) to replace three terms that advocates say mislead retirees about what they will actually receive:

• "Early Eligibility Age" becomes "Minimum Monthly Benefit Age," making clear that claiming at 62 means permanently lower monthly checks.
• "Full Retirement Age" and "Normal Retirement Age" become "Standard Monthly Benefit Age," generally 66 or 67 depending on birth year.
• "Delayed Retirement Age" becomes "Maximum Monthly Benefit Age," signaling that waiting until 70 yields the highest possible monthly payment.

The distinction matters financially. Americans who start collecting at 62 can see monthly benefits cut by as much as 30% compared with waiting until full retirement age, according to AMAC, a seniors' advocacy group that backed the bill. Benefits claimed at 70 are 76% higher than those claimed at 62, according to National Bureau of Economic Research data cited by 401k Specialist. Yet only 10% of retirees currently wait until 70 to claim.

"Passage of this bill is a victory for seniors and older workers, who will now be able to make more informed decisions about their retirement benefits," Beyer said in a Sept. 30 statement. "The need for clarity on these issues gets more salient every year as Americans live longer and financial choices become more complex."

The House passed the bill by voice vote on Dec. 1, 2025, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Sens. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Sen. Cassidy said on X on Sept. 30 that Congress now needs to "tackle the bigger challenge facing Social Security: insolvency in six short years."

AARP, the Bipartisan Policy Center and AMAC Action all endorsed the measure. In 2024, about 26% of roughly 3.3 million new retired-worker beneficiaries claimed at 62, and 54% claimed before age 66, according to the CRS report.

Once signed, the SSA must update all materials by Jan. 1, 2027, or within 12 months of enactment, whichever is later.