A wave of retirements and resignations at the CIA has overwhelmed the agency's pension system, leaving former officers waiting months for their first full retirement check, The Washington Post reported.
The backlog stems from two pressures arriving at once: an unusually large number of departures from the agency, and staffing cuts at the Office of Personnel Management, which handles the final processing of federal pensions.
In a note to agency alumni, the CIA acknowledged the problem and asked for patience. Its retirement branch is processing "an unprecedented number of retirement cases," the message said, according to the Post.
Some departing officers have been told their first full annuity payment could arrive nine months or more after they leave, the Post reported. Until processing is complete, retirees receive interim payments that typically cover 60% to 80% of the eventual pension. Federal rules provide no interest compensation for the delay.
Departing employees are given a number to call if six months pass without a first check.
Precise figures are classified. But current and former officials told the Post that the pace of departures exceeds anything in recent memory, and former officials estimate that more than 1,000 people have left since the start of President Donald Trump's second term. The agency's workforce has been estimated at about 22,000.
The exits are driven in part by the administration's effort to shrink the federal government, including the deferred resignation offers extended to federal workers last year.
The strain is not unique to the CIA. Similar departures across federal agencies have converged on an Office of Personnel Management that is itself smaller than it was, slowing pension processing government-wide.
A CIA spokesperson told the Post that the agency is committed to ensuring retired officers receive their benefits.