The Office of Personnel Management received fewer new federal retirement claims than it processed in April, allowing the agency to cut its once-sizable backlog down to a more manageable size.

OPM received 7,241 new claims in April — a 26 percent increase from what it received in March, and the 10th highest volume of new claims in a given month since October 2014.

Despite the uptick in new claims received, OPM cut its backlog down to 14,517 claims, a 24 percent decrease since last month. Its inventory now stands at its eighth lowest point in the past 19 months.

The data trend from March and April indicates that OPM has gotten a handle on its inventory backlog, which surged in January, typically the month that most federal employees file for retirement.

In its year-to-date numbers, OPM reported that it processed 80 percent of its claims in 60 days or less. In April, OPM processed 76 percent of its claims in 60 days or less.

For cases processed under 60 days, OPM said the average number of days it took to process a case was 50. For cases processed over 60 days, the average number of days it took to process a case was 92.

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