DOGE Announces Deadline for Major Retirement Change
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced it is overhauling the federal government's retirement application system.
Why It Matters
The change is the latest of numerous DOGE-backed reforms to hit federal agencies. The unofficial department has been working at the request of President Donald Trump to modernize technology and slim down government.
Outgoing DOGE de facto leader Elon Musk has previously called out the use of paper records for processing the retirement of federal workers.
What To Know
Starting June 2, DOGE and the Office for Personnel Management (OPM) will be rolling out its new Online Retirement Application (ORA) system for federal departments served by the National Finance Center and Interior Business Center, which are two federal shared services providers administering HR support.
Retirement applications submitted after this date via paper will not be processed.
If agencies don't use either of the two shared services providers, the OPM will provide a "complementary method for electronic submissions."
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, DOGE said the new system "will reduce the average time people wait to receive their retirement check from 3-5 months to less than 1 month."
Following the DOGE announcement, Musk said the process of retiring from the federal government will now be "so much faster and accurate."
File photo: Elon Musk departs the U.S. Capitol Building on March 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
File photo: Elon Musk departs the U.S. Capitol Building on March 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harnik/GETTY
Paper Processing
In February, Musk and DOGE brought attention to "Iron Mountain," a vast underground mine located near Boyers, Pennsylvania. It is run by the OPM and processes the retirement paperwork for the entire federal workforce.
A report by NBC News said it stores more than 400 million individual records spread across 26,000 file cabinets. Some 450 OPM employees help run the facility.
"Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania," DOGE said on X on February 11. "700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process takes multiple months."
Responding to the post, Musk wrote: "Maybe it's just me, but I think there is room for improvement here."
Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process... pic.twitter.com/dXCTgpAWLs — Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 11, 2025
What People Are Saying
OPM's Acting Director Charles Ezell said in a May 7 memo sent to agency heads: "The federal workforce deserves a retirement process that matches the demands of the 21st century. Legacy systems, with outdated technology and cumbersome procedures, have delayed retirements and frustrated employees who have dedicated their careers to public service. By harnessing modern technology and interagency collaboration, OPM has been working to deliver a retirement process that is fast, user-friendly, and responsive to the needs of our employees."
Elon Musk posted on X on May 8: "Retirement is now digital, so much faster and more accurate! Nice work by many."
What Happens Next
The memo said training and onboarding will be available to all agencies participating and must be completed by June 2.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Fox Host Says Trump Is ‘Furious' With Elon Behind the Scenes
President Donald Trump is reportedly seething over Elon Musk's public trashing of his 'Big Beautiful Bill' but knows it's better to keep his mouth shut on the subject for now. The former 'First Buddy' dramatically turned on the president in an unhinged late-night posting spree on Tuesday, labelling his spending plans a 'disgusting abomination' which would 'burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.' Reacting to the meltdown on Wednesday morning's Fox & Friends, host Brian Kilmeade said: 'I think the Elon Musk thing really caught the president by surprise. And I hear he is furious!' The Fox host frequently has the ear of the president, and his response is a solid indicator of how Trump may respond to Musk's betrayal over the coming days. 'I think he's so smart to keep his powder dry,' Kilmeade added. 'Because it just plays into what critics would have to say, 'The right can't get out of their own way.' 'Instead, you have a goal: Pass it. Elon Musk is not in the Senate or the House. Don't worry about it.' Kilmeade's co-host Lawrence Jones attempted to spin Musk's criticism by suggesting he was still on the president's side, despite his blistering criticisms on Tuesday night. 'I don't think Elon is anti-MAGA now, or anti-the president now,' Jones said. 'He worked so hard, put a lot of stuff on the line to get a lot wasteful stuff cut, and it doesn't sound like Congress is showing that same willingness.' Ainsley Earhardt responded by saying: 'I thought Elon was very respectful in some of the original interviews, saying 'look, we have differences and I don't agree with him on everything.' 'But this latest comment about calling the big, beautiful bill a disgusting abomination, I was shocked to hear him say that I can understand why the president would not be happy about that—this is someone who worked on his team.' Musk's comments have garnered a mixed reception amongst conservative circles. Speaker Mike Johnson rebuked the billionaire and said his comments were 'terribly wrong,' while Sen. Eric Schmitt said: 'We need spending reductions, no doubt. But we're going to work through it.' The former DOGE chief found himself an ally in Rand Paul however, with the Kentucky senator tweeting: 'I agree with Elon. We have both seen the massive waste in government spending and we know another $5 trillion in debt is a huge mistake. We can and must do better.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Andrew Yang reaches out to Musk to collaborate on new political party
Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said he's reached out to Elon Musk in hopes of collaborating on the creation of a new political party, according to a Saturday interview with Politico Magazine. Yang, along with mutual friends, believes the Tesla CEO has what it takes to form a new faction that propels America's strongest leaders. When asked if Musk has responded to his inquiry, Yang told the outlet 'Not yet, but I assume he's been very busy.' 'We have been of the opinion that America needed a new political party for a number of years, and so waiting another 24 hours is nothing,' he added. Musk's push for a new political caucus emerged from his public feud with President Trump over the 'big, beautiful bill.' The tech giant strongly opposed the national debt increase after months of working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut federal spending. Yang, the founder of 'The Forward Party,' said it's political outsiders like Musk who consider non-traditional approaches to the country's problems. 'I want to work with people that recognize that America's political system has gone from dysfunctional to polarizing to even worse. And at this point, the fastest growing political movement in the United States is independents,' Yang said. 'They feel like neither party represents them, and the two-party system is not delivering what they want to see,' he continued. Many people have recently left the Democratic party, including former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who announced she became an independent after seeing political polarization throughout the campaign trail. 'If you look at Musk's politics over the last number of years, he waited in line to meet Barack Obama, he endorsed me in a Democratic cycle, and even earlier in this cycle — 2024 — he was looking for an alternative to Trump,' Yang said. 'There are a number of things that I think Elon shares in common with a lot of other folks I talk to who want to see some kind of middle ground or balance. The problem is: In our two-party system, you get whipsawed either one direction or the other,' he continued. Last year, Musk was a major donor for Republicans but has supported a wide array of candidates like Yang in the past. Now that he's severed ties with the GOP, political hopefuls have been looking to capitalize on the billionaire's powerful funding reserve for future campaigns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Musk's efficiency model fails, Israel needs excellence
In a nation known worldwide for innovation, shouldn't our governmental systems reflect the same ingenuity that powers our most successful sectors? Imagine two government offices side by side. In the first, budget cuts eliminate 30% of the staff, forcing the remaining workers to process paperwork faster, yet citizens still wait hours, frustrated and unserved. In the second, a complete digital redesign allows most services to be completed online in minutes, with personalized guidance available for complex cases. Both claim 'efficiency,' but only the second delivers excellence. When Elon Musk took charge of US President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, he promised a revolution in government operations. Within weeks, over 200,000 federal employees were dismissed. 'We are moving fast,' Musk admitted, 'but we'll also fix mistakes quickly.' This bulldozer model captured global attention, including in Israel, where bureaucracy has long been a national punchline. The temptation to import this model is understandable. Yet what Israel needs is not America's DOGE but rather to reimagine the concept entirely, where the 'E' evolves from mere 'Efficiency' to true 'Excellence.' This distinction isn't semantic wordplay. Efficiency asks, 'How can we do the same with less?' Excellence asks, 'How can we create more value for citizens?' The first measure reduced inputs; the second focused on improved outcomes. Excellence often costs less in the long run by eliminating the hidden expenses of poor service: repeated visits, economic opportunities lost to delays, and the massive collective waste of citizens' time. As Israelis, we maintain a consistent expectation that our government should deliver quality services year after year. This social contract is fundamental to our society. We're willing to contribute through taxes and military service, but we expect competent governance in return. The excellence approach recognizes that well-functioning public institutions form the foundation of this mutual commitment and our national resilience. The irony is that Israel, the Start-up Nation, lags dramatically behind in government innovation. The same country that pioneers cutting-edge technologies in cybersecurity, agriculture, and healthcare still processes many government services using methods from the previous century. What the American DOGE does get right is creating a national conversation about government performance. Before DOGE, government reform was largely a technical discussion among experts. Now, it's front-page news. This visibility creates accountability and builds the political will necessary for meaningful change – precisely what Israel's public sector reforms have lacked. Excellence doesn't mean abandoning necessary protections; strong regulatory frameworks safeguard public health, safety, and essential services. The goal isn't to eliminate these safeguards but to redesign them intelligently. Consider business licensing: smart reform maintains high standards while eliminating redundant approvals and creating clear, predictable paths for entrepreneurs. What would an excellence-focused approach look like in practice? The solutions are largely known, and numerous committee reports have outlined necessary reforms for Israel's public service. What's missing isn't ideas but rather the sustained political commitment and public support to implement them. Three key initiatives must take priority. First, government services must be fundamentally redesigned with citizens at the center of the process. This goes beyond mere digitization to rethinking how services are structured and delivered. Estonia offers an instructive example. They've built an integrated digital government platform where services are designed around life events and user needs, not agency structures. Their transformation saves an estimated 2% of GDP annually while dramatically improving citizen satisfaction. The key insight isn't just technology; it's the citizen-centric redesign of the entire service experience. Second, excellence demands investing strategically in our public servants. This means creating diverse entry pathways to attract top talent, ensuring competitive compensation for key positions, and establishing cultures of innovation where continuous improvement is rewarded. Third, we need structured collaboration across sectors. Government doesn't have to solve every problem alone; it can leverage expertise from private industry, civil society, and academia. This multi-sectoral approach enables faster adaptation to evolving challenges while ensuring public services remain relevant and effective. The blueprints for transformation already exist in Israel. What's needed now is the determination to implement them, not through indiscriminate cuts but through thoughtful redesign backed by a genuine political commitment to better service. The citizens of Israel deserve a civil service that matches the excellence they demonstrate in their own fields. In a nation known worldwide for innovation, shouldn't our governmental systems reflect the same ingenuity that powers our most successful sectors? The question isn't whether we can afford such a transformation but whether we can afford to continue without it. The writer is the executive director of Tashtit, which works to promote professional and effective public service in Israel. He is also a member of the leadership team at Eco Memshal, a multi-sectoral space for organizations working to strengthen the public service in Israel.
