This year, there’s been a notable spike in federal employee retirements, primarily influenced by policies from the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to reduce spending.
The Office of Personnel Management is currently grappling with a backlog of severance claims, and the processing times are stretching significantly. For instance, in September, the average time was 76 days, up from 70 days in August and 59 days in July.
Many retirees find themselves anxious as they await their pension checks.
One retired federal employee, who left their job on June 30, shared their experience with WTOP. They chose to remain anonymous but mentioned several indications of potential layoffs and restructuring at their former agency.
“My position didn’t align well with the new organizational structure,” they explained. “This felt like a chance to move forward and get closer to my family.”
They sold their house and relocated to a different state, yet nearly four months later, they have not received any pension payments. They described their attempts to contact OPM as “frustrating” and “difficult.”
“We just don’t have enough people to manage the surge of retirees submitting their paperwork,” they said. “The only response I receive is, ‘Please be patient.’ Honestly, for quite a while, they couldn’t even confirm they had my documents.”
When they made the decision to retire, they were relying on that pension. Now, their family is managing on a single income and is feeling the pinch of rising expenses.
OPM has informed them to expect an “interim” check in mid-November or early December, though it won’t be the full pension amount. Federal employees who took part in the retirement deferral program received paychecks until September 30, but are currently at the back of the queue for claims and probably won’t see their pension checks until February or March.
“I’m in the pipeline, but it’s quite a clogged pipeline,” they remarked. “It’s crawling along.”
