On Retirement Processing, Even More Confusion

As the Office of Personnel Management tries to develop a plan to address longstanding problems with delays in dealing with retirement applications, the process seems to be getting even more confusing.

The Washington Post's Joe Davidson reports today that the Army is warning its civilians who are nearing retirement that they could face longer delays in getting interim payments while OPM sorts out the details of their benefits. The Army says it could take six to eight weeks for OPM to place retirees in interim status after they officially retire.

OPM says that statement is "not accurate."

Retirees are placed in interim status while OPM formally processes their retirement applications. It can take up to a year for the agency to approve final benefits.

In a recent column, our Retirement Planning columnist, Tammy Flanagan of the National Institute for Transition Planning, outlined what you can expect in the weeks and months after you retire from government. Right now, the picture isn't pretty.