On May 7, 2025, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a memorandum announcing the implementation of a fully digital retirement application system as part of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. Aimed at modernizing outdated federal processes, the transition eliminates paper-based submissions in favor of the Online Retirement Application (ORA) platform. Beginning June 2, 2025, all new federal retirement applications and supporting documents must be submitted electronically; paper packages will be returned. By July 15, 2025, OPM will no longer accept any paper applications. Agencies served by the National Finance Center (NFC) or Interior Business Center (IBC) must initiate retirement cases via ORA, while other agencies will receive separate electronic submission instructions. Each agency and payroll office must assign a project and technical lead, and all HR staff are required to complete training by June 2. The initiative aims to create a faster, more efficient, and user-friendly retirement process for federal employees.
memorandum
(2 pages)
Share