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NARFE Pleased House Appropriators Focus on Improved Customer Service from OPM Retirement Services

Alexandria, Va. – In response to the inclusion of language in the committee report for the House’s Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill that expresses concerns regarding and request reporting on customer service issues from the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Retirement Services division, NARFE National President Ken Thomas issued the following statement:
“We have heard too many complaints from NARFE members experiencing lengthy delays receiving their survivor benefits, updating their health insurance benefits, and requesting other changes from OPM. Compounding the problem, they are unable to connect with OPM to address their issues or even receive a status update. These issues are undermining federal annuitants’ retirement security.
“We are heartened that House appropriators share our concerns and included report language to focus heightened oversight and request increased transparency into processing delays and call center responsiveness from OPM Retirement Services. We hope this increased attention will elevate the urgency of the administration’s efforts to solve these problems.
“While processing issues and call wait times have been longstanding problems, reports from our members suggest they are getting worse, not better, as of late. And reports of extensive waits for survivor annuities is a recent development that causes acute financial distress at the worst of times. We understand OPM may be struggling with pandemic-related disruptions and that there are dedicated public servants at OPM RS who recognize the problems. But they must prevent the situation from deteriorating further and start making real progress to improve and modernize their processes to better serve those who spent careers serving their nation.”
Jenn Rafael
Director, Communications and Marketing
571-483-1270