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, or an illegible document — can delay processing.
Here’s a breakdown of the errors OPM identifies as common causes of delay, and what the agency recommends doing instead, updated for how applications 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 kinds of problems OPM has long flagged as causes of delay — they simply now surface as incomplete uploads, missing information, 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 retirement process depend on an employee’s insurance coverage before retirement.
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To continue Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage into retirement, an employee generally must have been continuously enrolled or covered for the five years of service immediately before retirement, or for all service since the first opportunity to enroll if that period is less than five years. The employee also must meet the applicable immediate-annuity requirements. Qualifying coverage can come through the employee’s own FEHB enrollment, coverage as a family member under another person’s FEHB plan, or certain military health programs such as TRICARE, CHAMPUS, or CHAMPVA — though anyone relying on qualifying military coverage must also be enrolled in an FEHB plan before the retirement date.
A similar five-year/all-opportunity rule applies to Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI). Employees generally must have carried the applicable coverage for the five years immediately before retirement, or for all periods it was available to them if less than five years. The requirement applies separately to Basic and each type of Optional insurance an employee wants to continue into retirement. Employees who meet the applicable requirements can make the retirement coverage and reduction elections available for the insurance they are eligible to continue.
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 applicable item can be included with the retirement package through ORA:
- 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 applicable DD 214s (member-4 copy), documentation confirming any military service deposit that was paid, and applicable documentation involving military retired pay or a waiver
The Errors OPM Says Cause the Most Delays
OPM’s application-tips guidance identifies several recurring paperwork problems that can hold up retirement processing. Three areas deserve particular attention before an application is submitted.
Incorrect or incomplete SF 2818 (FEGLI continuation)
Mistakes on the SF 2818, which determines life insurance coverage after retirement, can cause delays. OPM recommends completing the form electronically rather than filling it out by hand, then printing, signing, and dating the completed form before it is submitted with the retirement package. 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 in the package at all — OPM notes this step is sometimes skipped entirely.
Missing health benefits documentation
Employees relying on FEHB, TRICARE, CHAMPUS, or CHAMPVA coverage to satisfy the coverage requirement should make sure the documentation needed to establish continuous coverage for the applicable period is available. 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 problem — OPM recommends locating it well ahead of time and having it translated if it isn’t in English. For a married FERS employee choosing anything other than the maximum survivor annuity for a spouse, a complete SF 3107-2 (Spousal Consent to Survivor Election) is generally required. The SF 3107-2 must be signed by the spouse and notarized before it is submitted with the retirement package, and OPM will not accept a version containing cross-outs or white-out corrections. The agency recommends proofreading the form carefully before it is 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 an error is made.
Missing or Insufficient Military Service Documentation
Employees with any period of potentially creditable military service should provide copies of their DD 214s with the retirement application, even if no military 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. The documents also need to be legible — a blurry scan or low-resolution PDF can create a processing problem if OPM cannot read the information it needs to determine creditable service.
Two Steps That Can Prevent Avoidable Delays
Two themes run through much of OPM’s application guidance. First, provide every required signature and use ORA’s readiness check and dashboard to confirm that required sections and documents are complete before final submission. Some forms may require additional steps outside ORA, such as a notarized spouse’s signature on the SF 3107-2.
Second, use a personal email address rather than a work address. An employee’s HR office uses the personal email address to initiate ORA access, and using an address that will remain available after separation helps ensure continued access to retirement-related communications and services.
If a mistake is made on any form, OPM recommends starting over with a fresh copy rather than trying to correct one that has already been filled out or signed. Cross-outs, white-out, and other corrective marks can cause a form to be rejected, whether or not it requires notarization.
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 the applicant, HR office, and payroll provider able to work from the same application information. When OPM receives the necessary retirement information from the agency and payroll office, it assigns a retirement claim number. Applicants who used ORA can then use the same Login.gov account to access Services Online once their account is available.
Anyone tracking a case can also review OPM’s retirement quick guide for an overview of what happens after an application is submitted, including the steps that occur before OPM finalizes the retirement claim.
Federal Retirement Application Checklist
A companion Federal Retirement Application Checklist is available as a download, condensing the documentation, forms, and errors covered here into a one-page, printable list to work through before submitting an application in ORA.