USPS: Revised Express Mail Domestic Postage Refund Policy and Waiver of Signature
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) Revision
Effective January 22, 2012, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) throughout various sections to modify the policy for filing claims for domestic Express Mail® postage refunds from 90 days to 30 days after the date of mailing.
Additionally, in conjunction with the implementation of the January 2012 redesigned Express Mail Label 11-B and Label 11-F, Express Mail Post Office to Addressee, the Postal Service™ is modifying both labels by eliminating the “waiver of signature” check box. A customer sending an Express Mail item, and requiring an addressee’s signature, must select the new “signature required” box on the new Express Mail label. If the box is not selected, the Postal Service will not obtain a signature from the addressee upon delivery of Express Mail Next Day Delivery and Express Mail Second Day Delivery items. Instead, the carrier will scan the barcode and leave the item in the customer’s mail receptacle or other secure location to document delivery.
Express Mail Hold For Pickup service always requires the signature of the addressee or addressee’s agent. Therefore, the Express Mail Label 11-HFPU, Express Mail Hold For Pickup, will not be modified to reflect the new “signature required” option.
This revision is based on our final rule Federal Register (76 FR 75461–75464) published December 2, 2011. You can view the notice on Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
source: USPS -Postal Bulletin — Product Classification, Pricing, 12-15-11
Postmasters To Manage More Than One Post Office In Changes To USPS Manuals
Filed under: post offices, postal, postal news, Postmasters, usps
USPS revises manuals and handbooks: Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), Handbook PO-101, Administrative Support Manual (ASM) and Postal Operations Manual (POM)
ELM Revision: Management of Post Offices by Postmasters
Effective December 1, 2011, Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), Part 113, Definitions, is revised to clarify that a postmaster may be responsible for the management of more than one Post Office™ facility, and that the postmaster may assign duties to subordinate personnel, including when the postmaster is not physically present. Read more
USPS 2010 Top 25 Dog Attack Rankings by City and State
National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 15–21, 2011
The U.S. Postal Service® continues its tradition of calling attention to one of the nation’s most commonly reported public health problems: dog attacks and bites. From nips and bites to actual attacks, violent dog behavior continues to pose a serious threat to our employees.
To emphasize the enormity of this issue, we are now reporting total attacks and dog bites as one number. Last year, nearly 5,700 Postal Service™ employees were victimized by dogs. Read more
Postal Rural Carrier Guarantee Period For 2010
All Post Offices With Rural Delivery Service: Rural Carrier Guarantee Period
Postal Service managers must effectively manage rural carriers who work under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) section 7(b)(2). Those carriers are paid overtime for all hours actually worked in excess of 2,080, up to 2,240, within the 52-consecutive-week guarantee period.
If a carrier works more than 2,240 hours within the guarantee period, the agreement under FLSA, section 7(b)(2), is considered void, and the carrier must be compensated for all hours worked during the guarantee period in accordance with FLSA, section 7(a).
Local management must track and validate regular carrier work hours throughout the guarantee year to avoid and/or minimize the number of carriers exceeding 2,080 or 2240 actual work hours.
The current 2009–2010 guarantee period in effect for the past year began Saturday, October 24, 2009, and goes through Friday, October 22, 2010. The new 2010–2011 guarantee period will begin on Saturday, October 23, 2010 and continue through Friday, October 21, 2011.
source: Postal Bulletin: Rural Delivery, Delivery and Post Office Operations, 10-21-10
USPS Adds New Self-Service Retirement Application For Postal Employees
As announced in March of this year, the Postal Service has added a new feature (eRetire) to LiteBlue which will provide employees the option of using self-service to begin the retirement process.
eRetire is a web-based system which allows employees to:
View an annuity estimate if they are within (5) years of retirement; Download a retirement packet or order a retirement packet to be mailed; Begin the retirement process by selecting the desired retirement date.
eRetire does not replace the option of contacting HRSSC to begin the retirement process or discussing individual questions with a specialist before or during the process.
Dead Tree Edition has been covering problems associated the USPS Retirement process
From Oct, 7, 2010 Postal Bulletin:
eRetire — A New Employee Application on LiteBlue
eRetire is the new employee self-service application that allows employees to plan for and initiate retirement activities online via LiteBlue — www.liteblue.usps.gov. (See also poster on page 41.)
WhoThe new self-service application is for two sets of eligible employees:
-Employees within 5 years of retirement eligibility.
-Employees who are currently eligible for retirement, and those within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility.
Annuity estimates are only available through eRetire for full-time employees meeting the eligibility requirements noted above. Part-time employees and Postal Inspectors require a manual annuity estimate and must contact the HR Shared Services Center with a request for a manual estimate. A manual annuity estimate is mailed to the employee’s address of record within 14 days.
What
For employees within 5 years of retirement:
-Full-time employees within 5 years of their retirement eligibility date will be able to immediately view online and print their annuity estimate(s) based on effective retirement dates of:
a. Employee’s retirement eligibility date.
b. Employee’s retirement eligibility date plus 6 months.
c. Employee’s retirement eligibility date plus 1 year.
For employees who are currently eligible for retirement, or are within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility:
-Immediately view/print their annuity estimate based on retirement effect dates of:
a. The beginning of the next month (or, from the employee’s retirement eligibility date, if the employee is not yet eligible but is within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility).
b. The beginning of the next month, plus 6 months.
c. The beginning of the next month, plus 1 year.
-Enter a future effective date. Employees must be within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility and may enter a custom date, which cannot be more than 180 days (6 months) from the date the request is made in eRetire. An annuity estimate for the custom date indicated will be available to view/print within 24 hours of the request.
-Download and print or order a Retirement Application Package. Employees may print retirement application forms directly from LiteBlue through eRetire or order the retirement application package for receipt within 7–10 days of the initial request date.
-Schedule a Retirement Counseling Session. Employees can schedule a group retirement information-sharing session or individual session by selecting an appointment date range no sooner than 90 days (3 months) prior to their retirement eligibility date. The system displays available appointment dates and time slots for the individual to choose.
Where
Employees have three options to access eRetire:
1. On LiteBlue, go to the Employee Apps — Quick Links carousel at the center of the home page and choose eRetire.
2. Click the My HR tab at the top navigation bar of LiteBlue and then the Find Employee Apps section. Choose eRetire from the Employee Apps options.
3. Click the Employee Apps button at the bottom of every My HR page. Choose eRetire from the Employee Apps options.
Note: Employees need their Employee ID and USPS PIN numbers to log on to LiteBlue.
When
eRetire is available now.
USPS Revises Its Policies on Rehiring Postal Execs
Last month the Washington Post reported: The Postal Service has awarded more than 2,700 contracts to former employees since 1991 and awarded 17 no-bid deals to former executives between 2006 and 2009, according to one of the audits. Most of those executives earned six-figure sums, the report said. One unnamed executive received a $260,000 no-bid deal in July 2009 to train his successor just two months after retiring.
The Postal Service has revised its Management Instructions (MI) on “Contracting With Individuals or Rehiring Into Career Nonbargaining Positions.”
From the Postal Bulletin:
Management Instruction (MI) EL-500-2010-4, Contracting With Individuals or Rehiring Into Career Nonbargaining Positions, is now available on PolicyNet and is effective
immediately.
This MI provides guidance on the reviews and approvals required prior to contracting with or reemploying specified individuals, including former and/or retired postal or federal civilian employees, into career nonbargaining positions. Specifically, this MI:
- Establishes the process for requesting contracts with individuals.
- Defines the categories under which persons may be utilized to perform work for the Postal Service.
- Identifies the Human Resources authorities responsible for determining whether the request to contract with an individual may proceed.
USPS Tightens Policy On Non-Postal Collection Box Use
The Postal Service’s iconic collection box symbolizes the trust Americans have in the Postal Service. Because it’s closely associated with the security and privacy of the mail, USPS has maintained tight control over who can use de-commissioned boxes for non-postal purposes.
In the past, loans to other federal agencies have been approved by the Postal Inspection Service. But now, even this exception to the rule is ending.
USPS and the Postal Inspection Service are tightening the policy. The April 22 edition of Postal Bulletin has details on the upcoming change. “It’s difficult to enforce our policy if the public sees old collection boxes in use for some other purpose,” says Chief Postal Inspector Bill Gilligan. “A clearer, more uniform policy is easier to enforce.”
The Postal Service has used its public mail collection box design since 1908. It’s part of the American landscape — a favorite, for example, of movie producers who want to include a bit of Americana on their sets.
Largely for security reasons, the Postal Service has restricted use of its blue boxes, denying dozens of requests each year for out-of-service boxes. Street collection boxes cannot be sold or loaned to the public, to businesses or to local and state governments. They must be destroyed and sold as scrap.
In rare instances, collection boxes may be loaned to other federal agencies — with prior approval from the Inspection Service. For example, a blue collection box is part of a display at the Smithsonian Museum. But the loan required a signed agreement detailing how the box is to be used, the duration of the loan and a specific audit trail.
Gilligan says he doesn’t want old collection boxes to be mistaken for the real thing. “The sight of a collection box, even if the color is changed, still signals to many Americans that it’s the receptacle for the mail,” he says. “Even when the requester has the best of intentions, once the box leaves the Postal Service, it makes it very difficult for us to control where it goes and how it’s used.”
see the latest Postal Bulletin: Handbook AS-701 Revision: Changes to Disposal of USPS Collection Boxes
source: USPS News Link
Internet Change of Address — the Best Choice
USPS® no longer displays hardcopy change-of-address (COA) forms at its retail locations. Hardcopy COAs — part of The Mover’s Guide — are only available behind the counter, where customers have to request them from a retail associate. Why the change? The Postal Service™ wants retail associates to encourage customers to use the Internet version instead for these reasons:
It’s Fast
Internet Change of Address (ICOA) is fast. On average, USPS processes 97 percent of all ICOA transactions into the change-of-address system within 2 days after they’re filed. In Fiscal Year 2009, customers entered their changes of address sooner using ICOA than they did using hardcopy forms — with 60 percent entered on or before the day the customer moved, compared to only 20 percent for hardcopy forms. The sooner USPS knows about the customer’s move, the sooner it can begin forwarding the customer’s mail.
It’s Accurate
ICOA also is a more accurate option. There’s no chance of error due to illegible handwriting. The higher degree of accuracy means reduced undeliverable-as-addressed mail volume and lower cost.
It’s Secure
Equally important, ICOA is a more secure option. USPS requires online customers to use a personal credit card or debit card for identity verification.
It’s Green
And it’s green. ICOA eliminates the use of paper, thus preserving our natural resources.
It’s Economical
This year, the Postal Service expects the ICOA share of all COA orders to increase more than 25 percent, generating about $2 million in incremental revenue.
So the next time you speak with a customer about filing a COA, suggest the online option at www.usps.com/moversguide.
source: USPS Postal Bulletin