The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced it is overhauling the federal government’s retirement application system.
Why It Matters
The change is the latest of numerous DOGE-backed reforms to hit federal agencies. The unofficial department has been working at the request of President Donald Trump to modernize technology and slim down government.
Outgoing DOGE de facto leader Elon Musk has previously called out the use of paper records for processing the retirement of federal workers.
What To Know
Starting June 2, DOGE and the Office for Personnel Management (OPM) will be rolling out its new Online Retirement Application (ORA) system for federal departments served by the National Finance Center and Interior Business Center, which are two federal shared services providers administering HR support.
Retirement applications submitted after this date via paper will not be processed.
If agencies don’t use either of the two shared services providers, the OPM will provide a “complementary method for electronic submissions.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, DOGE said the new system “will reduce the average time people wait to receive their retirement check from 3-5 months to less than 1 month.”
Following the DOGE announcement, Musk said the process of retiring from the federal government will now be “so much faster and accurate.”
Paper Processing
In February, Musk and DOGE brought attention to “Iron Mountain,” a vast underground mine located near Boyers, Pennsylvania. It is run by the OPM and processes the retirement paperwork for the entire federal workforce.
A report by NBC News said it stores more than 400 million individual records spread across 26,000 file cabinets. Some 450 OPM employees help run the facility.
“Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania,” DOGE said on X on February 11. “700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process takes multiple months.”
Responding to the post, Musk wrote: “Maybe it’s just me, but I think there is room for improvement here.”
Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process… pic.twitter.com/dXCTgpAWLs
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 11, 2025
What People Are Saying
OPM’s Acting Director Charles Ezell said in a May 7 memo sent to agency heads: “The federal workforce deserves a retirement process that matches the demands of the 21st century. Legacy systems, with outdated technology and cumbersome procedures, have delayed retirements and frustrated employees who have dedicated their careers to public service. By harnessing modern technology and interagency collaboration, OPM has been working to deliver a retirement process that is fast, user-friendly, and responsive to the needs of our employees.”
Elon Musk posted on X on May 8: “Retirement is now digital, so much faster and more accurate! Nice work by many.”
What Happens Next
The memo said training and onboarding will be available to all agencies participating and must be completed by June 2.
The post DOGE Announces Deadline for Major Retirement Change appeared first on Newsweek.
