Updated Monday afternoon to include comments from OPM.<\/p>\n
House Democrats are doubling down on their investigation into the Trump administration\u2019s management of the government\u2019s retirement processing system, as some federal retirees remain without annuities months after submitting their applications.<\/p>\n
In a letter sent Monday to Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, Democrats on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee pressed for more details on OPM\u2019s ability to address what has become an unprecedented surge<\/a> of retirement applications \u2014 in large part due to the deferred resignation program (DRP) and other workforce reductions under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n The lawmakers first pushed Kupor for answers on the situation in December<\/a>, questioning how OPM was addressing processing delays amid the retirement influx. Monday\u2019s letter, obtained by Federal News Network, now seeks further details.<\/p>\n \u201cTo date, OPM has provided only a partial response to a number of those questions,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cIn the meantime, we continue to hear from constituents who are experiencing significant delays and communication failures regarding their retirement applications.\u201d<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n In their letter, Reps. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) and Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), along with Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), questioned how OPM is ensuring federal retirees can stay in contact with their former agencies on the status of their applications. The lawmakers also called for a progress update from OPM for onboarding agencies and payroll providers to its new online retirement application (ORA).<\/p>\n \u201cWhile information regarding OPM\u2019s ORA system was provided, no clear answer was given regarding how retirees may directly contact their former employing agency\u2019s HR office when there is a concern regarding the status of their retirement application,\u201d states the letter, led by Walkinshaw \u2014 also a leader of the new Federal Workforce Caucus<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2025, OPM first launched the ORA platform, attempting to modernize and streamline the government\u2019s paper-based, legacy retirement processing system. Kupor has touted the benefits<\/a> of the new ORA system in expediting retirement processing, saying it has been crucial for managing the recent high volume of retirement claims.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be clear, we are supportive of efforts to modernize OPM\u2019s retirement application process and hope to see continued progress on the use and implementation of ORA,\u201d the Democrats wrote in their letter. \u201cWhat we do not support is the use of rhetoric about modernization efforts to obscure the existing backlog of retirement applications for federal employees, many of whom were pushed out by the Trump administration\u2019s workforce reduction policies.\u201d<\/p>\n OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover said the agency has made \u201csteady progress reducing the retirement backlog after a surge in applications earlier this year, with inventory declining significantly from its recent peak.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, OPM continues expanding digital processing through the ORA system, which processes claims about twice as fast as traditional paper submissions,\u201d Pinover told Federal News Network. \u201cOPM remains committed to transparency, modernization and working with Congress to ensure federal retirees receive the benefits they\u2019ve earned as efficiently as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n As of March 2026, nearly 55,700 federal retirement applications are pending finalization at OPM. That\u2019s after another nearly 14,800 retirement applications entered OPM\u2019s system, while the agency\u2019s Retirement Services (RS) division processed and finalized over 22,200 applications.<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n OPM\u2019s total application inventory peaked in February this year with over 65,200 claims. Since then, OPM has managed to shave off close to 9,600 retirement applications from the backlog.<\/p>\n About half of processed retirement claims appear to be going through OPM\u2019s new ORA system. According to OPM, digital retirements submitted through ORA are processed at about twice the speed of a traditional retirement application.<\/p>\n Once a retirement claim reaches OPM, the agency is generally able to provide \u201cinterim annuities\u201d relatively quickly to retirees, giving them a portion of their annuity calculations while they wait for their applications to be finalized.<\/p>\n \u201cMany delays occur before cases reach OPM, as retirement packages must first be completed by agencies and payroll providers before adjudication can begin,\u201d Pinover said. \u201cOnce cases arrive at OPM, most retirees receive interim payments on average seven days within submission of their retirement application, so they have income while their claims are finalized. Interim pay accounts for 80% of their full annuity payment.\u201d<\/p>\n Some 2025 retirement claims, however, still appear stuck in the earlier steps of the government\u2019s retirement process \u2014 pending at either their agency or payroll provider, and leaving those individuals without annuity payments at all.<\/p>\n In their letter, the lawmakers also cited a November 2025 Office of Inspector General report, which flagged workforce reductions as a top management challenge for OPM. That\u2019s after the agency lost approximately 1,000 employees<\/a>, a third of its total staffing, over the last year.<\/p>\n OPM\u2019s cutbacks included a loss of about 100 employees working in the RS division through DRP separations, regular retirements and canceled hiring actions, according to the OIG report.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are concerned that a reduced workforce \u2026 could affect Retirement Services\u2019 progress and its ability to continue to respond to the roughly 6,000 calls received daily,\u201d the\u00a0report<\/a> states.<\/p>\n