With OPM’s retirement backlog still running in the thousands, federal employees can’t control how fast the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) works through its queue. What they can control is whether their own application is complete and error-free the first time. According to OPM’s official application guidance, even small mistakes — a missing signature, an incomplete election, an illegible document — can add weeks or months to processing.
Here’s a breakdown of the errors OPM identifies as the most common causes of delay, and what the agency recommends doing instead, updated for how applications actually move through OPM’s current system.
Applications Now Go Through OPM’s Online Retirement Application (ORA)
New federal retirement applications are submitted through the Online Retirement Application (ORA), a fully digital system that has replaced OPM’s paper-based process. Rather than mailing forms and supporting documents, applicants attach PDF versions of items like a marriage certificate or DD 214 directly to their package inside ORA, certify their application with a digital signature PIN tied to their Login.gov account, and track progress through a status dashboard. Because ORA is initiated by an employee’s HR office using their personal email address, that personal email needs to be linked to Login.gov before the process can begin.
The documentation and accuracy issues below are the same ones OPM has long flagged as common causes of delay — they simply now surface as incomplete uploads or unclear PDFs inside ORA rather than as mailed paperwork.
Start Preparing Well Before Your Retirement Date
OPM recommends that current federal employees contact their agency benefits officer for help with their application, and, if six months or less from retiring, review the Planning and Applying page for a list of pre-retirement actions. Those actions include:
- Resolving any debts to the employing agency, such as travel advances
- Obtaining a military retired pay waiver, if applicable
- Paying or completing a military service deposit
- Establishing Medicare eligibility
- Choosing an exact retirement date
- Setting up direct deposit for annuity payments
Confirm the Five-Year Coverage Rules Are Met
Two of the most consequential eligibility rules in the entire retirement package hinge on continuous coverage in the five years before retirement.
To continue Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage into retirement, an employee must have held five consecutive years of FEHB coverage immediately before retiring. That coverage can come through the employee’s own enrollment, a family member’s FEHB plan, or a military health program such as TRICARE, CHAMPUS, or CHAMPVA — though anyone relying on military coverage must also be enrolled in an FEHB plan before the retirement date.
The same five-year rule applies to Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI). Employees who meet the requirement can keep their current coverage level, reduce it, or drop it entirely at retirement.
Gather Documentation Before Applying
OPM advises employees to confirm that their electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) includes records from every previous federal job, working with the agency HR office to retrieve anything missing. Beyond that, OPM’s documentation checklist varies by situation — each item below gets attached as a PDF upload inside ORA rather than mailed in:
- Married: a copy of the marriage certificate, with a certified translation if it isn’t in English
- Divorced, with a former spouse still living: a certified copy of the complete divorce decree and any separation agreements
- Unmarried, dependent children under age 22: proof of status, such as a birth record
- Disabled children unable to support themselves: the child’s birth certificate
- Military service: copies of all DD 214s (member-4 copy), a letter from the agency confirming the military service deposit is paid in full, and any notice of award for military retired pay or an approved waiver request
The Errors OPM Says Cause the Most Delays
OPM’s application-tips guidance singles out three categories of paperwork as the most frequent sources of processing delays.
Incorrect or incomplete SF 2818 (FEGLI continuation)
Mistakes on the SF 2818, which determines life insurance coverage after retirement, are a common cause of delay. OPM recommends completing the form electronically before attaching it to the ORA package, rather than filling it out by hand and scanning it. Anyone continuing Option B or Option C coverage must fill in both reduction lines (question 11 for Option B, question 13 for Option C) rather than leaving one blank, and should verify eligible coverage amounts before marking “No” (eligible but declining) versus “I don’t have” (not eligible or never enrolled). Employees enrolled in FEGLI at retirement must also remember to include the SF 2818 at all — OPM notes this step is sometimes skipped entirely.
Missing health benefits documentation
To continue FEHB, TRICARE, CHAMPUS, or CHAMPVA coverage into retirement, employees must provide documentation proving continuous coverage for the five years before retiring. OPM recommends keeping personal copies of agency-validated FEHB forms, and, for anyone who had coverage under a family member’s FEHB enrollment, providing copies of the SF 2809 validated by that family member’s HR office. When completing an SF 2809 during Open Season or after a qualifying life event, both Part B and Part C must be filled out for the change to take effect.
Missing or incorrect marriage and spousal consent paperwork
Retiring without a marriage certificate copy on file is a common and avoidable delay — OPM recommends locating it well ahead of time and having it translated if it isn’t in English. For anyone choosing anything other than a maximum survivor benefit for a spouse, a complete SF 3107-2 (Spousal Consent) form is required. Unlike the main SF 3107 application, which is certified with a digital signature PIN inside ORA, the SF 3107-2 still requires a physical signature and notarization before it’s scanned and uploaded — and OPM will not accept a version with cross-outs or white-out corrections. The agency recommends proofreading the form carefully before it’s signed and notarized, checking that it matches the survivor election in Section D of the SF 3107 application, and bringing at least two blank copies to the notary in case of an error.
Missing or Insufficient Military Service Documentation
Employees with any period of potentially creditable military service should upload copies of their DD 214s to ORA, even if no service deposit is being paid. Each DD 214 needs to clearly show active-duty start and end dates, character of service, and any lost time — a blurry scan or a low-resolution PDF is treated the same as a missing document.
Two Rules That Prevent Most Delays
Underlying nearly all of OPM’s guidance are two simple habits. First, provide every required signature — including the physical signatures still needed on forms like the SF 3107-2 — and use ORA’s readiness check and dashboard to confirm every section is complete before final submission. Second, use a personal email address rather than a work address, since that’s the address an employee’s HR office links to Login.gov to initiate ORA access, and it’s how OPM will continue to reach the retiree after separation.
For any document that does require a physical signature or notarization, OPM recommends starting over with a fresh copy rather than correcting a mistake on one already signed. Cross-outs, white-out, and other corrective marks can cause that document to be rejected even after it’s uploaded.
What Happens After Submission
Once an application is submitted through ORA, OPM works with the retiree’s former agency and payroll office to process the claim, with applicant, HR, and payroll all sharing the same view of the application’s status. When OPM receives the necessary information from the payroll office, it assigns a retirement claim number, which can then be used to sign in to Retirement Services Online with the same Login.gov account used for ORA. Anyone tracking their case can also review OPM’s retirement quick guide for estimated processing timelines.
Federal Retirement Application Checklist
A companion Federal Retirement Application Checklist is available as a free download, condensing the documentation, forms, and errors covered here into a one-page. Download the checklist here