Quick Takeaways
- ORA is OPM’s new online system for retirement paperwork: It asks the same questions as the paper forms, just online.
- Most agencies are starting to use ORA for Disability Retirement: Whether your application goes through the portal depends on your agency.
- Have your medical documentation ready before HR sets up your account: Some agencies only allow 5 to 10 days to submit once your account is open.
- Filing digitally does not change your chances of approval: Approval still depends on solid medical evidence and meeting OPM’s requirements.
- Anything you upload to ORA stays with your case: Make sure every document supports your claim before you submit it.
Common Questions
Q: What do I need to set up an ORA account?
A: A personal email linked to a Login.gov account. Your HR office must also invite you to start your application in the system.
Q: Can I use ORA to apply for Disability Retirement?
A: It depends on your agency. Most agencies are starting to process Disability Retirement applications through the portal.
Q: What if I’ve already been separated from my federal job?
A: Ask your former HR office to set up your portal access. If they can’t, you can submit a paper application directly to OPM.
Q: Why is my application taking longer than expected?
A: Most delays come from agencies adjusting to the new system. A delay doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with your case.
Q: Can I track my application in ORA?
A: Yes. You can see whether your agency is still processing it, whether it’s been forwarded to OPM, and whether OPM has issued a decision.
Full Webinar Transcript
What is ORA?
Shelby Grissom (Marketing Team): Today, we’re going to be discussing the new system that OPM [Office of Personnel Management] is using to process retirements, and that’s the Online Retirement Application, or ORA. As you can see here, these are the questions that we’ve been seeing a lot lately, so we’ll go through all of these together.
Okay. So, we’re going to start really basic. Sophie, if you could just walk us through what exactly ORA is.
Sophie Rost (Learning & Development Manager): Okay, so ORA, or the Online Retirement Application, this is OPM’s new system for filing retirement paperwork. It is a way that you can input the information you used to fill out the retirement application forms with, and input that online.
So, it is submitted more directly to your agency and then to OPM for their processing, and they aren’t having to receive all of these paper applications, and hopefully increase the efficiency of their retirement application processing.
Shelby: Okay, gotcha.
Sophie: So OPM, they do want to receive all the retirement applications through this portal, but they are at this time still accepting paper copies. That is under the CFR [Code of Federal Regulations], that they are still able to accept those paper copies. But we’ll talk a little bit more about the pros and cons of the portal and the best way to submit your application.
Does ORA Apply to Disability Retirement?
Shelby: Okay, great. Okay. So, the next question is, is this just for regular retirement or does it apply to Disability Retirement as well?
Sophie: So, this depends on your agency. A lot of agencies are adapting pretty quickly to this ORA portal, and so pretty much all normal retirement applications are going through this portal. And again, most agencies are starting to process the disability applications through this portal as well. They do have it set up to where they can take in the disability information as well as the normal retirement application information.
What Federal Disability Retirement Provides
Shelby: Okay, great. Okay, so while we are talking about Disability Retirement, I thought we could just take a minute to break it down a little bit more. So, Disability Retirement is a benefit for federal employees if they have a medical condition that’s making it hard for them to keep doing their federal job.
So, you may qualify for this benefit if you are a FERS [Federal Employees Retirement System] career employee, you have at least 18 months into creditable service, and then again, you’re dealing with a medical condition that keeps you from performing at least one of your essential functions of your job. So, Sophie, could you walk us through what Disability Retirement would provide for a federal employee?
Sophie: Yeah, absolutely. So, if you are approved for FERS Disability Retirement, you can start to receive a secure monthly annuity. So you will get that Disability Retirement calculation payment every month.
While you are on Disability Retirement, you will continue to get creditable years of service that will add to that retirement calculation whenever you turn 62. So, you’ll be able to continue working towards an increased retirement calculation for your normal retirement.
And then if you’re eligible, you can also continue your health and life insurance into retirement, which is really huge for a lot of people, to be able to continue those federal insurance benefits even after they leave their federal position.
And then lastly, even with approval for Disability Retirement, many people are able to get a job and work in the private sector and still have a normal income and earnings in addition to that monthly annuity that they’re receiving, which is really great for a lot of people.
Shelby: Yeah, that can be a real help for people to just sort of supplement that monthly annuity that they’re getting.
Sophie: Absolutely.
What’s Different from the Paper Application Process
Shelby: Okay, so let’s move on to the next question. And this one, we hear this one a lot too, and it’s sort of what if people are used to the paper application system. Can you kind of walk us through what might be different about the application process now?
Sophie: Yes. So, the application is really a lot of the same questions, and it’s just happening online, and you’re just inputting the same information directly into the ORA portal. On the portal, it’ll help you navigate the retirement questions and really just show you the questions that are applicable to you.
So first of all, you will need your personal email linked to a Login.gov account. So, this needs to be an email that you can access at any time, even if you are no longer on the rolls at your job or attending your job. So, it will need to be your personal email that you can set up there.
You must let human resources know that you’re interested in applying for disability or normal retirement, and they will invite you to start your application in the system. They have to set up some things on their end and go ahead and enter in some information, and they will send you that invite to set up your account on the portal.
Once you’re in there, you will begin filling out and responding to those retirement questions, and some of your information, like your service history and your current position and salary, that will be prefilled from agency records. So that’s part of what your HR [human resources] is going to be filling in before you even start to access your portal.
And then once you get your retirement documentation submitted, you can go back in that portal at any time and you can track exactly where your case stands. You can see if your agency is still processing it, if it’s been forwarded on to OPM for a decision, if OPM’s issued the decision. It all is in one place that you can kind of check that status, and it takes a lot of the questioning about where you’re at in the retirement process out of the picture.
Key Point: You can’t open an ORA account on your own. Your HR office has to enter your information first and then send you an invitation to set up your account.
Applying After You’ve Been Separated
Shelby: Okay. And what would this look like if you’ve already been separated from your position?
Sophie: So that does get a little bit more complicated if you’ve already been separated from your position. So if you have been officially removed from your position, you can reach out to your former HR and see if they can still set up the retirement application and retirement portal for you. If they are still able to do that, then you can go in and apply as normal. So you can set up your account with the ORA system and fill in your application online.
However, we have seen where some of our clients who have been separated for more than a month have been having a little bit more difficulty getting their human resources to be able to set that up for them. And so we are still submitting those applications directly to OPM, submitting the original hard copy applications, the paper copy applications, to OPM in that situation.
Shelby: Okay.
Sophie: The paper applications are still the main thing that’s covered by the Code of Federal Regulations, and so that is the safest way to get that application directly to OPM, especially if you are not able to access a portal.
Key Point: If you’ve been separated and your former HR office can’t set up your ORA account, you can still submit a paper application directly to OPM.
Will Going Digital Affect Approval?
Shelby: Okay, question four. This is one that people will be very interested to hear the answer to, and that is, will going digital affect whether people get approved or not?
Sophie: That is a great question. So no, that’s really not going to affect the approval rate. So the case still comes down to making sure that your medical evidence and your application is solid and that we are meeting the requirements that OPM is looking for.
Submitting it digitally really does not have any impact on the quality of the application. We are seeing where some cases are moving a little faster with the new system, but there is a little bit of variety just with how the different agencies are adapting to it.
Getting Started on Your Own
Shelby: Okay. Gotcha. Okay. So let’s say there’s a federal worker today listening and they’re ready to start this process and they want to do it on their own. Sophie, can you walk us through just what that process would look like getting started?
Sophie: Yeah, absolutely. So as a federal employee who is preparing to apply for Disability Retirement, I would say the first step is really making sure you have some medical documentation, a supportive doctor’s statement to submit, and having that documentation in order. Once you do that, then you would want to reach out to your human resources and let them know that you are planning to file for Disability Retirement.
At that point they will set up the portal. They will input your service history and other agency information into that portal, and then they will send you an email to allow you to create an account within the ORA portal.
Shelby: Okay.
Sophie: The reason I suggest to have that documentation ready is because we found that a lot of agencies do have a short time period to get that documentation submitted once you’ve set up your account. So some agencies we’ve seen will only allow 5 days to get your application submitted once you get your account set up. Some allow 10 days. But then we’ve also seen agencies that don’t have a cap on how long you can take to submit that retirement application.
Key Point: Gather your medical documentation before you ask HR to set up your account. Once the account is open, some agencies give you as few as 5 days to submit.
Getting Started with Harris Federal
Shelby: Gotcha. Okay. So would it change anything if someone wanted to work with our team at Harris Federal and hire us?
Sophie: Yes, I’d say that it does change a little bit if you’re going to be working with us. So, we will be the ones that are going through the same application questions with you, and we’ll start gathering all your documentation, and we’ll work with you to get all of that supporting documentation together.
And then based on your agency and how we’ve learned that they are processing applications, your case manager that you’re working with will prompt you to reach out to human resources to set up your account once we feel confident with the documentation that we have.
We are still reviewing everything that is being sent to us. We are submitting documents with intention and making sure that anything that we’re submitting is supportive of your Disability Retirement, and we’ll make your application as strong as possible. So, we don’t want you setting up that account and getting documentation submitted before we’re confident with that claim.
What to Do If HR Isn’t Responding?
Shelby: Okay. So if someone is going through this process on their own and they’re having trouble getting HR to respond to them, is there anything that they can do to kind of get that process going?
Sophie: Yeah, absolutely. So first of all, keep in mind that your human resources department is also adjusting to these changes, and they are probably spread pretty thin right now. So you may have to have a little bit of patience while they are adjusting to this new system as well.
If it continues to drag on, we definitely recommend following up in writing. Don’t just make the phone call. It is easier to track those follow-ups and show that history of checking in with HR if you’re doing more than just making the phone calls.
Lastly, it is just good to keep it direct with your human resources representative and be specific about what you’re requesting and the timeline that you’re working with. And during this time, you can always take the opportunity to work on collecting your medical documentation and talking to your doctors to make sure they’re going to be supportive.
But this is also a good reason that it can be helpful to work with Harris Federal, because you’ll have your case manager to work with you, and they can assist with following up with your human resources if you’re having trouble with them responding to you and to your request for this ORA account.
Shelby: Yeah, that’s one of the benefits of working with us, is we can kind of take on that conversation.
Why Your Case May Be Taking Longer?
Shelby: Okay, let’s move on to the next question. So, during this process, sometimes things drag on longer than expected. So, what could be some of the reasons why your case is taking longer than you may have expected at the start?
Sophie: So right now, a lot of the delays we’re seeing are just coming from a new system and the different agencies that we’re seeing and how they are adjusting to the new system, how quickly they’re adapting to it. And it’s not really a problem with your case.
Agencies and human resources specialists are still learning how to build applications correctly in the portal and navigating that. That can add time before your case even reaches OPM, for both paper and digital applications.
We are seeing some quicker speeds with some of the agencies and their processing of the digital applications, but unfortunately that has left some of the paper applications being processed a little bit slower. So, until everybody has been kind of adjusted to this new system and the processing times, we’re definitely going to see some fluctuations of how quickly things are processing.
Shelby: Okay. But good to just keep in mind that delays don’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your case.
Sophie: Absolutely not. But making sure that we have all the documentation in line can really be helpful in moving things along, and there’s less back and forth with the agency if you have all the documentation that you need before you start.
Staying Ahead of the Backlog with Our Team
Shelby: Yeah. Okay. So let’s talk about ways that you can kind of stay ahead of that backlog. So, Sophie, can you tell us what it would look like if you are working with our team?
Sophie: Yeah, absolutely. So, if you’re working with our team, we have really been taking a lot of time the last few months to really understand how the different agencies are processing these applications, and so that really will help bypass a lot of the back and forth with your agency and figuring things out.
But with this new system, there is a little bit more of submitting things to your agency and them responding and you needing to certify your documents. So, if you’re working with us, if your agency contacts you about your retirement application, it’s just best to communicate with your case manager or attorney as quickly as possible, because they can make sure that your application is continuing to move forward, and they can review and certify the application to avoid delays.
Shelby: Okay.
Sophie: And another thing to keep in mind is that any documentation that’s being uploaded to the portal stays with your case. So, a benefit of working with Harris Federal is that we are reviewing all of this documentation before we are officially uploading it to the application. We are gathering the documentation and making sure it’s a solid case, and we are specifically submitting that supportive documentation and making sure that everything that is going into that file is going to be helpful for your case.
Shelby: Right. So that’s why if you’re working with us, you want to make sure to talk with your case manager before uploading anything.
Sophie: Exactly. Yeah. But we just want to stay in communication with our case manager and make sure everybody’s staying in the loop of what’s happening with the submission of the application.
Key Point: Anything uploaded to the ORA portal stays in your case file. Review documents carefully before uploading them. If you’re working with us, reach out to your case manager before uploading anything.
Staying Ahead of the Backlog on Your Own
Shelby: Okay. So then if you are applying on your own, what are some tips for just staying ahead of the backlog?
Sophie: If you’re applying on your own, it’s good to go ahead and set up your account with Login.gov. As we talked about, it does need to be tied to your personal email. So that way you aren’t missing anything if you’re away from your work laptop or in a leave status, that you’re getting all of the emails that are being communicated with you about your application process.
Next, you can also check in with your HR office and see where your agency stands with adapting to the ORA portal. You can see how they’re processing it, if there is a timeline to get your application submitted, if they’re even using the portal. It’s helpful to check in with HR and just be familiar with what to expect when you’re getting everything submitted.
Lastly, it is so helpful to have your documents gathered ahead of time and know which elections you plan to make. There are a few decisions that you’ll have to make as you’re filling out your retirement application, and just being familiar with those decisions and getting an idea of what you’ll want to choose will help move things along even quicker.
Do You Have to Track Everything Yourself?
Shelby: Okay, so we have covered a lot of ground today and walked through a lot of questions. But if you’re listening to this and you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, you might be wondering, will you have to keep track of all of these moving parts by yourself? Sophie, can you kind of walk us through what that might look like?
Sophie: I wouldn’t say you have to track everything yourself. That is one benefit of the new portal, is that it is specifically asking you to upload those different documents you might need to put in there. It does have a way to track and know where your application is without those frequent follow-ups with your HR or with OPM. So, it does have a lot of that tracking built into it now.
But if you hire us, if you hire Harris Federal, we do have 20 years of experience putting these applications together. We know exactly what is needed, what’s acceptable, what’s supportive, and with our experience, we are able to put together a strong application for you that we are confident can get approved ultimately.
I know we all know that it can be difficult to gather documentation and submit everything and stay on top of it whenever you’re also dealing with maybe a new health condition that could be really affecting your life.
So, you don’t need to worry about managing the details. We’ll put together the application for you. We will follow up with you if we need anything else from you, and we’ll talk through any concerns that you’re having about this process or about the changes that might be taking place as you transition into a retirement.
Shelby: Yeah. Like Sophie said, we’ve had over 20 years of experience working with OPM, and we have direct lines of communication. So, we can really take on that burden of just organization and communication so you don’t have to do that on your own.
Wrapping Up
Shelby: Okay, so that is all of the questions that we had for today. If you did not get your question answered, go ahead and give us a call today and we can set you up with a one-on-one consultation.
Sophie: Our firm has been working so hard to stay up to date on all of these changes and make sure that we’re still giving our clients the best service we possibly can and make this go as smooth as possible. So I’m so glad to be able to share this information with you all today.