David Wolfel, a retired U.S. Navy civilian architect, is among many federal employees who opted for retirement this year due to significant layoffs under the Trump administration.
In May, after spending a few months on administrative leave, he submitted his resignation. Yet, six months later, it’s still uncertain when his retirement allowance will be processed.
“We thought it might be late 2025,” Wolfel shared with the News4 I-Team. When asked if he still believes that timeline, he said, “I honestly don’t know.”
The I-Team has been following the issues surrounding retirement benefits for numerous federal employees who left this year. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reported that approximately 150,000 federal employees took buyouts from the deferred retirement program, with around 100,000 retiring on September 30.
This mass departure created significant delays in the system, particularly since federal retirement claims are handled in two stages. After employees submit their documentation, the agency processes the application and forwards it to OPM for payment.
In September, OPM Director Scott Cooper told the I-Team he anticipated most agencies would complete severance claims within 30 days. He was hopeful OPM could process resignations within 60 days once they received the necessary documents.
However, OPM’s metrics reveal that monthly processing times surged this past summer, averaging 79 days in October. During this period, OPM received over 20,000 new retirement applications—almost three times the resignation applications from the previous month.
“OPM is managing an unprecedented volume of retirees this fall and is working hard to expedite benefits,” Kupol said in a recent statement. “Right now, over 75% of new retirees are getting their interim paycheck within 30 days of us receiving their completed application. Our aim is for all retirees to receive this paycheck so that no one faces a loss of income during processing. We’re focusing on getting back to that 60-day timeline, and our new online retirement application is already aiding us in speeding things up. We encourage retirees to ensure their agency’s HR and Payroll Office has submitted a complete application to minimize delays.”
Nevertheless, retirees like Wolfel are finding it very challenging to reach human resources for updates.
Wolfel shared with the I-Team an automated email from HR stating they were “unable” to provide updates due to an “unprecedented volume of termination requests.”
“I’m not trying to point fingers, but the Navy’s HR situation is tough,” he remarked.
Lori Schardel also attributed delays at her former agency to the long processing time for her severance package.
“In the case of the FDA, it was just inefficient,” noted Schardel, a former management analyst at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Feeling concerned about possible cuts impacting her job, Schardel retired in April after 44 years in government. However, records indicate that OPM processed her claims only through June, and she finally started receiving interim partial pay—around 40% of what she expected—in July.
Although OPM has now finalized her claim, she still hasn’t received her full benefits and is unsure when that will happen. Until then, she and her husband, who is about to retire, will need to rely on his 401K.
“It’s frustrating because it’s interrupting the savings you’d like to preserve, and you’re essentially living on a fraction of what you anticipated,” she explained.
Both Schardel and Wolfel expressed their pride in working for the federal government but said the uncertainty surrounding their retirement benefits is causing significant stress.
“I won’t say I’ll believe it when I see it, but I think it will all work out eventually,” Wolfel mentioned.
News4 has reached out to both the FDA and the Navy about the cases of Schardel and Wolfel, but has not yet received a response.
