The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released the OPM Retirement Quick Guide this week to help walk Federal employees through the retirement process and know what to expect as a retirement application is processed and benefits are determined.
OPM developed the guide in partnership with the Lab at OPM, using human-centered design principles. The guide covers everything from employees’ benefit choices, when employees can expect to receive their interim and first annuity payments, steps to take before they retire, and factors that might delay their retirement processing.
“OPM remains committed to helping Federal employees transition from serving the American public to enjoying their hard-earned retirement,” OPM Director Kiran Ahuja said in a press release. “The Retirement Guide will help employees better understand the retirement application process and ensure Federal retirees and their families get the information and assistance they need during this important transition.”
The new three-page guide is designed to improve customer experience by:
- Consolidating retirement-related information into one place;
- Helping employees understand the claims process, as well as estimate when they can expect to receive their interim and first regular monthly annuity payment;
- Helping employees and the Federal Human Resources community submit retirement applications to cut down on delays; and
- Highlighting convenient, self-service support that expands the options for customer service beyond the OPM Retirement Services call center.
OPM supports all Federal retirees – whether they worked for the Department of Defense (DoD) or the civilian government. OPM Chief Information Officer (CIO) Guy Cavallo told MeriTalk earlier this month that the agency is “really focused on improving the customer experience of going through retirement,” as exemplified through the new guide.
“This is a wonderful guide for all Federal employees to help prepare for retirement,” said Taiwanna Smith, the benefits officer for DoD Civilian Personnel Management Service. “It provides essential information needed to fully comprehend the Federal retirement process.
“Employees and retirees will appreciate the countless hours saved trying to research information that is very important to them. It also features key information related to OPM Services Online which is an incredibly important tool for obtaining post-retirement information,” Smith added.
