Former Federal Employees Can Now Get Personnel Records Online

Former federal employees now have an easier way to obtain copies of their federal personnel records.  

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) launched a secure online portal called the electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) Document Request Service (DRS). The portal will allow former feds to request and receive copies of their personnel records electronically, including SF-50s and other documents. 

Personnel records are often needed for everything from employment verification to benefits eligibility. 

Manual Process Eliminated

The new portal eliminates a manual process for retrieving such records. That process often required filing paper forms and requests to former employing agencies or the National Personnel Records Center. 

“OPM is committed to modernizing the way the federal government serves its workforce,” said OPM Director Scott Kupor in a news release. “The new Document Request Service replaces an outdated, paper-based process with a secure, efficient solution that gives former federal employees faster access to the records they need while improving customer service and reducing administrative burden.”

Login Details

To use the new system, users must access it through Login.gov, complete a one-time identity verification and submit a brief online request. Once the request is processed, users will receive a secure email containing a time-limited download link to a password-protected ZIP file.

The DRS is available to former federal employees whose records are maintained in eOPF, as well as current federal employees whose agencies do not provide government-furnished equipment to access their personnel records. 

Current employees who have access to the eOPF application should continue to retrieve their records directly through that system.

OPM also published a DRS user guide.