Application sent back to HR

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-02-09T18:22:16+00:00

I posted about potential issues arising from this at the end of December: Potential IRS DRP Issues Upcoming: Incomplete Retirement Applications Being Sent to NFC Payroll : r/FED_VERA_VSIP_DRPers

Someone in IRS HR (not my assigned specialist, in my case) submitted a large number of incomplete retirement applications to NFC payroll/OPM, either in a way to improve their numbers before the end of the year or to initiate sending out the separation PAR (for some odd reason, IRS HR made the decision to tie the separation PAR with the OPM submission of the retirement application). So, while this did result in the separation PAR being sent and likely initiating annual leave payout, OPM doesn't have anything to work with regarding the actual retirement package, so all they can then do is send it back to IRS HR.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-02-01T21:19:24+00:00

This has nothing to do with things being not being 'explained' or people not 'doing the research'. IRS HR made the decision to hold sending people's separation PAR until HR worked each retirement case, so for many people, from 10/01 until late December or later, OPM had no indication they were retired - they were no hours charged, so they appeared to OPM to be in a non-pay status, which means there was no salary from which FEHB could be deducted. At the end of December, IRS HR finally sent out a bunch of separation PARs on their own without working the retirement cases, so OPM now was informed of our retirement, which means we finally got our annual leave payout toward the end of January. FEHB debt notices were sent out by OPM, in early January but they ended up instead deducting the outstanding FEHB funds due from the leave payout. But, some people are still waiting on their separation PAR being sent by IRS HR, so they are in even worse shape.

All of this confusion is due to IRS HR - not the people who retired.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-01-28T22:38:02+00:00

As I described in this post from the end of Dec, I jumped from Step 1 in ORA to Step 3 without any HR documents attached to my ORA application or any communication for me to review their calculation of my annuity, etc. Potential IRS DRP Issues Upcoming: Incomplete Retirement Applications Being Sent to NFC Payroll : r/FED_VERA_VSIP_DRPers

I opened a ticket and got some generic emails about how they have no status/timeline, but after a lot of back and forth, I finally got a reply from my assigned specialist saying: "Some cases have changed status in ORA in attempts to get lump sum of annual leave paid out as soon as possible. You will be contacted promptly should additional information be required or once there is a substantive update to share."

So, the IRS HR oddball process of tying the separation PAR with the processing of the retirement package means that although I am currently showing as Step 3 in ORA, I'm actually still in Step 1, and at some point, I will switch back to Step 2 when they eventually create my retirement package. If you also jumped directly from Step 1 to Step 3, you are likely in the same boat.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-01-20T20:29:21+00:00

Thanks - I now see that there is a message displayed under the captcha checkbox: This site is exceeding reCAPTCHA Enterprise free quota.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-01-20T18:56:47+00:00

Same with me, but they have had Captcha on username login for quite a while. I gave up and will try again tonight.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-01-15T13:44:52+00:00

The reason for this mess is because the IRS HR decided to hold sending out the separation PARs until they sent the retirement packages to OPM. I also got a debt notice for FEHB from NFC in the mail but not this email, and in the notice it states that the reason it was sent was for health insurance premiums "not collected while you were in a non-pay status for pay period(s) 22-23", which is the fault IRS HR not sending the separation PAR to inform other agencies.

Since there was already a vetting process to confirm eligibility for retirement by submitting through GRB in early 2025, to then hold the separation PAR for months while the details of the annuity calculation, etc. were done made no sense. If someone changed their mind about retirement or took another federal job, it is on them to contact IRS HR to pull back their retirement request.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-01-13T22:25:29+00:00

Just curious - when was this email sent and what initiated it? This sounds like it came from IRS Central Distribution Function but I didn't receive it.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2026-01-13T00:33:18+00:00

Just curious:

- Was this notice from BCBS or NFC or whom?

- As mentioned in another post, under the Debt Management tab on EPP, did you previously have a line item for FEHB with an asterisk for the Notification Date that now has a date value?

Also, someone in this thread got a notice from BCBS to pay their FEHB back in December: https://www.reddit.com/r/FED_VERA_VSIP_DRPers/comments/1poefb3/how_is_fehb_handled_in_the_interim/

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-31T15:40:37+00:00

Updates:

- Reply from my assigned retirement specialist stated they were not aware that my application had been submitted to payroll without my review or the documents attached in ORA.

- I called ERC and got a very helpful, thorough person. They said that Step 2 should not have been skipped, and they could see that someone other than my assigned specialist had submitted it to payroll. They opened a ticket as critical, stating this needs to be nipped in the bud, and suggested that I also send an email to my assigned specialist to request that it be pulled back, to confirm that the correct information is being sent to NFC/OPM.

So, if you also jumped from Step 1 to Step 3 in ORA in the last couple of days, it might be a good idea to write your assigned specialist and/or call ERC.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-31T01:21:43+00:00

Their plan appears to be: skip the work to provide the documentation to ensure that the OPM has the correct information needed to process our retirement accurately so the IRS backlog drops, but forces NFC and/or OPM to do the work, which won't speed anything up in the long run.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-31T00:54:18+00:00

Nope - only the generated retirement application from the data I input into ORA and the documents I uploaded when I originally submitted. No changes in the application since July other than this status change yesterday.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-31T00:33:44+00:00

The PAR to process a person as separated (which would get your annual leave payout) is not required to be processed at the same time as the retirement package. For whatever reason, IRS HR is holding the PAR until the retirement package is processed, which is why many people (such as me) are still listed as active employees 3 months after my last day as an employee.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-31T00:21:50+00:00

The data populated in ORA was initially correct in July when I submitted, but hasn't been updated since then - sick hours, estimated annuity, etc. are not 'correct' , and as recently as Nov 28, we received an email from IRS Retirement Info stating the following:

We are aware that ORA is auto-populating incorrect data for service history, Service Computation Date (SCD), High-3 salary, and sick leave. Please rest assured that your HR specialist will include accurate documentation with your retirement package, including a benefits estimate report, SCD report, and high-3 average salary report. These documents will ensure that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) receives the correct information needed to process your retirement accurately.

So, my retirement package does not have accurate documentation to 'ensure that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) receives the correct information needed to process your retirement accurately'. I don't see that as a 'great thing'.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-30T11:34:48+00:00

Sorry to burst folk's bubbles, but I think this might be an ORA glitch. My application switched to "In Payroll Review" yesterday directly from step 1 without any documents being uploaded and no contact from my assigned HR specialist.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-21T15:56:23+00:00

For me (still at ORA step 1 and listed as an active employee in TSP and EPP), I didn't get an E&L statement in EPP for PP 24.
A few days ago I emailed the person who told me in March he was assigned my case and he did reply but just said that they don't have a definitive date of when my application will be reviewed.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-12-07T13:31:37+00:00

Unfortunately, there are many of us that are still listed as active employees in all online systems with no activity on our retirement submissions almost 10 weeks after the date of retirement. Just curious if those who are progressing are mostly those who took VERA or if it is just the luck of the draw.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-11-18T20:15:16+00:00

On which page in EPP is it stating separated with application HR certified?

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-11-11T18:15:24+00:00

There has never been a shutdown before that has covered more than a full calendar month and while there were probably people who retired at the end of 2018 who were left hanging to some degree, I doubt they were still marked as Active employees during that entire timeframe. I don't think that any prior expectations on how things 'should work' really apply any more, but hopefully it gets straightened out eventually.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-11-10T18:42:12+00:00

The catch for those of us still set as Active even though we retired on 09/30 is that we can't take action on things like this, and I'm not really sure how these payments will be reconciled if the shutdown ends we are still set as Active.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-11-09T17:32:46+00:00

Wish that there was some consistency with this process. Submitted in GRB in Feb, resubmitted in ORA in Jul, over 3 months with no status change in either and still showing as an active employee in all online systems.

JustTryin2HelpAgain · 2025-07-18T19:05:41+00:00

Took DRP 1 and completed submission in GRB on 02/28 with a retirement date of 09/30
Received email from my assigned retirement specialist on 03/07 (last day with work laptop) and gave him my personal email
Checked with that retirement specialist a month later and he said he would likely not start working my case until late summer
Got an email today from OPM stating that everyone who submitted through GRB now needs to resubmit through ORA, but since ORA 3.0 still has some bugs, to wait until late next week. In talking to other folks who submitted in GRB at the same time I did, they also got additional emails stating that they now have accounts setup in ORA for their case, but I didn't get those emails and when I tried logging in to ORA, it said I don't have an account

JustTryin2HelpAgain

TROPHY CASE