The backlog of resignations at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) saw a significant rise last month, attributed to an unexpected surge in resignation applications.
In May, the OPM received 15,048 resignation requests, pushing the unpaid backlog to 21,483. This marks a 33% increase from April’s backlog of 16,173. Surprisingly, this year’s tally has reached the second highest level recorded, just after January, which is typically the busiest month.
During May, the OPM processed 9,739 claims, a figure that is notably higher than average for this time of year. On average, it took about 49 days to process these claims.
To put this in perspective, the numbers for May 2025 compared to previous years show a dramatic shift. It’s clear that this year’s resignation applications have far surpassed those of the past few years.
One might wonder what’s causing this unusual increase in resignations among federal workers.
It’s reasonable to hypothesize that the federal government’s efforts to downsize its workforce are playing a role. The agency recently rolled out a delayed resignation acquisition offer alongside Veras (a voluntary early retirement service), and OPM has noted that this is one of several factors contributing to the surge in resignations. Consequently, the recent downsizing efforts might lead to a swift rise in OPM retirements as many federal employees opt to leave.
Modernization Efforts at OPM
The OPM’s resignation backlog reflects a persistent challenge: the federal government’s slow pace in modernizing its systems. Despite being in the digital age, the OPM continues to handle resignation applications through a largely manual, paper-driven process, leaving thousands of applications awaiting processing.
On June 3, OPM announced the launch of a new electronic official human resources folder (EOPF) platform, successfully migrating over 400 million files and more than 5 million user accounts to this new system.
This new system replaces the outdated Official Human Resources Folder (OPF) system that was phased out at the end of May. Some notable features include:
- The ability to view files directly on the platform without needing to download PDFs.
- A user-friendly interface designed for easier access to HR records.
- Simplified options for printing and downloading necessary documents.
Recently, OPM circulated a memo to agency heads indicating the rollout of a new online retirement handling system starting June 2. From this point onward, all federal resignation applications must be submitted electronically, and agents will no longer accept paper submissions for new and future applications.
By July 15, 2025, OPM plans to promote the online retirement application (ORA), discontinuing acceptance of paper forms.
An article released last month mentioned that many of OPM’s digital retirement handling systems were developed during the Biden administration, although there are concerns about the efficiency of these efforts.
Although I tend to be cautious about information from anonymous sources, there are certainly valid points raised regarding ongoing projects initiated earlier.
Reports indicate that last year OPM was actively pilot testing a new online retirement system in collaboration with various institutions. In an interview, OPM’s chief information officer expressed that agencies usually take “years” to modernize systems, opting for a methodical approach rather than attempting a massive overhaul all at once.
Regardless of who is responsible for the new system’s development, it appears OPM believes it is ready for implementation. If it succeeds, it could significantly streamline the process for resigning federal employees and potentially reduce the longstanding backlog of retirement applications OPM has faced.
OPM Resignation Status: May 2025
The detailed breakdown for claims in May shows a notable state of affairs:
*An early retirement case that took less than 60 days to resolve averaged around 30 days, whereas cases extending beyond 60 days averaged approximately 110 days for completion.
