In the fall of 2019, I toured the Office of Personnel Management\u2019s (OPM) Retirement Operations Center\u2014known as the \u201cROC\u201d\u2014located 220 feet underground in a former limestone mine north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Federal employees work daily in this subterranean space lined with rugged silver-painted stone walls and floors packed with 22,000 file cabinets stacked 10 high. These cabinets contain 400 million civilian retirement records and have long symbolized the government\u2019s reliance on paper-based processing. That is finally starting to change.<\/p>\n
As noted in a previous article<\/a>, the move toward electronic retirement processing has been linked to the rise of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but OPM has been working on retirement system modernization for years. After piloting the Online Retirement Application (ORA) in 2024, the agency has now rolled it out governmentwide. All new retirement applications must be submitted electronically.<\/p>\n In OPM\u2019s Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2023\u20132026<\/a>, former Chief Information Officer Guy Cavallo prioritized modernization initiatives including Electronic Retirement Records (ERR), ORA, and RS Surveys. While Cavallo retired earlier this year, those efforts are now reaching employees preparing to retire in 2025.<\/p>\n The modernization aims to streamline the process by digitizing retirement applications, verifying service credit eligibility, and storing retirement files electronically.<\/p>\n I recently spoke with an employee in the Deferred Retirement Program (DRP) who is planning to retire on Sept. 30. He shared his experience completing the new ORA.<\/p>\n Does the online application populate data already in your agency\u2019s payroll system? Can you save a partially completed application? Can you complete the application on a personal device? Can you save or print the completed application? Note: This download feature may become available after the \u201cCertified Summary of Federal Service\u201d is signed. That step had not yet been completed at the time of this interview.<\/p>\n How do you upload supporting documents? Was anything surprising? Tips for others? Dennis Damp, author of the retirement blog FederalRetirement.net<\/a>, relayed a case from a recent retiree named Paul. Paul confirmed that retirees must have their non-government email submitted to the ORA portal by their agency. The email must match the one used to sign in through Login.gov. Paul reported no issues using a personal email for the entire process.<\/p>\n Employees are reminded to read all instructions carefully. All documentation requested\u2014marriage certificates, DD-214s, court orders, and IRS forms\u2014must be submitted. All retirees must include a W-4P<\/a> tax form. As of 2023, the default withholding is “single with zero allowances.” To opt out of federal tax withholding, employees must write \u201cNo Withholding\u201d in Step 4(c).<\/p>\n
Yes. My name, agency, and other payroll information were pre-filled.<\/p>\n
Yes. I was able to save my progress and return using credentials provided via email.<\/p>\n
Yes. I no longer have access to my work computer, so I completed it on my MacBook using Login.gov<\/a>. There were no issues.<\/p>\n
There was a download\/print button, but it didn\u2019t work. However, my completed application is visible in my dashboard. I\u2019m unsure whether it will remain accessible after retirement.<\/p>\n
After completing all application sections, I was prompted to upload my marriage certificate, IRS Form W-4P, and life insurance election form SF 2818.<\/p>\n
Yes\u2014the process was intuitive and user-friendly. Each section had clear white space and minimal text per screen, which made the experience easy to follow.<\/p>\n
It helped that I had already completed the paper SF 3107, the FERS Application for Immediate Retirement<\/a>. Also, I stayed in contact with my HR retirement specialist, which was helpful. I recommend checking your designation of beneficiary forms<\/a> (SF 3102 for retirement; SF 2823 for FEGLI<\/a>). These were not included in the ORA checklist.<\/p>\n