OPM Races to Go Digital Ahead of Retirement Wave
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The electronic retirement record for federal employees is just over the horizon, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
About a year from now, all federal retirement claims will be processed through the OPM's "retirement systems modernization" program. Using the Internet, federal retirees will be able to see their retirement records and benefits, and a first wave of federal employees will be able to estimate their future pension payments.
Linda M. Springer, OPM director, said launching the electronic retirement program is her highest budget priority this year. "Everyone, all three branches of government, understands the importance of this system," she said at a briefing on the agency's fiscal 2008 budget this week.
Most agencies project a surge in retirees in the next few years, and the OPM is eager to automate claims-processing and create electronic retirement records. Today, most federal personnel records are on paper, and the OPM has to hunt through 28,000 file cabinets to find employment records that verify a person's retirement claim.
With upgraded computer systems, the OPM will be able to speed up pension payments to new federal retirees and to reduce the time that a retiree remains on interim retirement pay while a final annuity is being calculated.
Springer began pushing for money to speed up retirement processing in early 2006, but Congress has not completely financed her budget requests. She sought $27 million for the program in fiscal 2007 but appears likely to get only half of that under the budget bill, pending in Congress, that combines spending measures that failed to pass last year.
For fiscal 2008, the president's budget would allocate $15 million for the program.
Springer said about 6,000 paper files are being converted to digital records each day. By March 2008, the OPM plans to permit the first employees, who are covered by the General Services Administration payroll system, to call up their retirement records online.
The wave of 25,000 employees paid through the GSA system will be followed by workers paid through other government payroll systems, such as those operated by the U.S. Postal Service, the National Business Center and the National Finance Center.
By 2009, the transition should be complete, and all federal employees should be able to use "self-service" features to model benefits and make retirement plans, OPM officials said.
The OPM administers the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System, and they cover more than 3 million employees in the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
Retirements
Khen Chen, a broadcaster for the Voice of America's Cambodian Service, has retired after 44 years with the agency. She was best known for being on air April 15, 1998, with a report that Khmer Rouge officials had decided to turn former leader Pol Pot over to an international tribunal to face trial for crimes against humanity. According to the Far Eastern Economic Review, Pol Pot listened to VOA every night and, shortly after hearing Chen's broadcast, died.
John Dalrymple, deputy commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service for operations support, has retired after more than 30 years with the agency. Previously, Dalrymple served as commissioner of the Wage and Investment Division, one of the IRS's four primary business units. He also held a variety of other positions, including IRS chief operations officer.
G. Martin Wagner, deputy commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, has retired after 31 years of federal service. Before joining the acquisition service, Wagner served as associate administrator for the GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy from 1995 to 2005. During his career, he received meritorious and distinguished presidential rank awards.
Talk Shows
Rick Warsinskey, president of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations, and Rachel Emmons, the group's Washington representative, will be the guests on "FedTalk" at 11 a.m. today on http:/
Nancy H. Kichak, associate director for strategic human resources policy at the Office of Personnel Management, will be the guest on "The IBM Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. Saturday on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).
Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.
