Postal Bulletin 22601 (June 30, 2022 ...

Front Cover

2

postal bulletin 22601 (6-30-22)

Contents

COVER STORY

A U.S. Passport is Your Key to International Travel . . . . . . .

3

POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS

UPDATES

Manuals

DMM Revision: Domestic Competitive Products Pricing

and Mailing Standards Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DMM Revision: New Mailing Standards for Domestic

Mailing Services Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IMM Revision: Individual Country Listing for China. . . . . . . .

Handbooks

Handbook EL-505 Revision: Changing Handbook Name

and Updating Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Publications

Publication 52 Revision: Mailing Live Animals. . . . . . . . . . . .

Publication 223 Revision: Directives and Forms Update. . . .

Publication 431 Revision: Changes to Post Office Box

Service and Caller Service Fee Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4

9

11

11

12

13

14

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Domestic Mail

Labeling List Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

¡°Parcels Prepared in Soft Packaging¡± Federal Register

Notice Withdrawn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15

Stamp Services

Stamp Announcement 22-26: Go Beyond Stamps . . . . . . . .

Stamp Announcement 22-27: National Marine

Sanctuaries Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stamp Announcement 22-28: Elephants Stamp . . . . . . . . . .

Pictorial Postmarks Announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Digital Color or

Traditional Postmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43

45

47

48

50

PULL-OUT INFORMATION

Fraud

Invalid USPS Corporate Account Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Missing, Lost, or Stolen U.S. Money Order Forms . . . . . . . .

Missing, Lost, or Stolen Canadian Money Order Forms . . . .

Verifying U.S. Postal Service Money Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Counterfeit Canadian Money Order Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Toll-Free Number Available to Verify Canadian

Money Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Other Information

Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thrift Savings Plan Fact Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Freely Associated States Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19

20

26

28

28

28

29

36

38

17

Environmental Management

Updated Environmental Management and Compliance

Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

2021 Annual Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PB 22589 (1-13-22)

Finance

Equipment Maintenance Allowance Schedule for

Rural Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

Information Security

Set Up Your ACE Password Recovery Settings in

eAccess Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

Find the latest in mail and delivery information

and services offered by U.S. Postal?

in the Postal Bulletin at

about.postal-bulletin

International Mail

Competitive Services Price Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mailing Services Price Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41

42

POSTAL BULLETIN 2021 ANNUAL INDEX

Cover Story

postal bulletin 22601 (6-30-22)

3

Cover Story

A U.S. Passport is Your Key to International Travel

The U.S. Department of State¡¯s Passport Services

Directorate issues U.S. passports to traveling Americans.

Passports are a request to foreign governments to permit

you to travel, and also allow you to re-enter the United

States.

The RCAS tool will display available appointment times

for participating Post Office? locations that offer passport

appointment services within the selected radius. Users will

receive notifications of their scheduled appointment via

email or text.

A passport book or card is proof of identity and U.S.

citizenship. U.S. citizens can use each as follows:

If you are renewing your passport, you must do so by

mail. You do not need to make an appointment for the

renewal. The directions are straightforward ¡ª simply take

your documents and payment to the nearest Post Office

and mail everything to the U.S. Department of State using

Priority Mail? or Priority Mail Express? service.

?

The passport book for all international travel by air,

land, or sea.

?

The passport card to enter the United States from

Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and

at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry. U.S.

citizens cannot use the passport card for international air travel. The wallet-size passport card is convenient and less expensive than the passport book.

Whether you plan to apply for a first-time passport book,

passport card, or both, submitting your passport application

is easy. The United States Postal Service? makes it convenient to apply for a passport with the Retail Customer

Appointment Scheduler (RCAS) tool. Customers now have

the opportunity to self-schedule a first-time passport application appointment through a variety of options:

?

Online or on a mobile device at scheduler.

?

At any one of the 2700 Self-Service Kiosks (SSKs).

?

At the Retail counter of more than 17,000 select Post

Offices.

The RCAS tool guides you through the appointment

process in four easy steps:

1. Choose a service.

For best results, follow these passport and international

travel tips:

?

Apply for your passport book or card early.

?

Check the expiration date of your current passport.

U.S. passports are issued to adults for 10 years and

children under the age of 16 for 5 years.

?

Visit the Department of State website at

travel.content/travel/en/passports.html for

the following information:

?

?

Find out how to apply for or renew your passport;

?

Get passport fees and forms;

?

Track your application; or

?

Report your passport lost or stolen.

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at

step.step. U.S. citizens and nationals who

travel and live abroad can use this free service to

register their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or

Consulate.

2. Find available appointments.

3. Select your appointment time.

4. Provide contact information.

¡ª Retail Services,

Delivery and Retail Customer Service Operations, 6-30-22

4

Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates

postal bulletin 22601 (6-30-22)

Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates

Manuals

DMM Revision: Domestic Competitive Products Pricing and Mailing Standards Changes

Effective July 10, 2022, the Postal Service? will revise

Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,

Domestic Mail Manual (DMM?), in various sections, to

reflect changes to certain pricing and mailing standards for

the following domestic mail competitive products:

?

Priority Mail?.

?

?

Parcel Select .

?

Return Services.

?

Other.

This article describes new prices and product features

for domestic mail competitive products established by the

Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service?.

New prices are available on the Postal Explorer? website at

pe..

Competitive products changes are by product as follows:

Priority Mail

Priority Mail Commercial Plus? Cubic

Currently, Commercial Plus cubic prices are available to

Priority Mail customers whose account volumes exceeded

50,000 pieces in the previous calendar year and have a

customer commitment agreement with the Postal Service.

The Postal Service is revising the DMM to remove the

volume requirements for Priority Mail Commercial Plus

cubic prices. The Postal Service will also eliminate the

requirement to have a customer commitment agreement

for cubic pricing. Priority Mail cubic prices will be available

to all commercial customers.

Priority Mail Maximum Insurance Indemnity

The Postal Service has proposed making the maximum

insurance indemnity included with retail- and commercialpriced Priority Mail limited to a maximum liability of $100.

See Federal Register notice, ¡°New Mailing Standards for

Domestic Mailing Services Products¡± (87 FR 21601-21603)

for additional information.

Parcel Select

Parcel Select Ground? Cubic

The Postal Service is implementing cubic pricing under

the Parcel Select Ground price category. Parcel Select

Ground cubic pricing will be available to eligible Parcel

Select Ground customers for rectangular, nonrectangular,

and soft-pack mailpieces. Each mailpiece must measure 1

cubic foot or less, weigh 20 pounds or less, and the longest

dimension may not exceed 18 inches. Rolls and tubes do

not qualify for mailpiece cubic prices. Parcel Select Ground

cubic pricing will be available in 10 pricing tiers.

Return Services

USPS Returns? Service

The Postal Service is proposing to include $100 of insurance with Priority Mail Return? service pieces. See Federal

Register notice, ¡°New Mailing Standards for Domestic

Mailing Services Products¡± (87 FR 21601-21603) for additional information.

Other

Postal Zone Calculation Revision

Currently, prices for certain subclasses of mail are

based on the weight of the individual piece and the distance that the piece travels from origin to destination (i.e.,

the number of postal zones crossed). Administering these

postal zones is based on a map in which the earth is

divided into units of area 30 miles square, identical with a

quarter of the area formed by the intersecting parallels of

latitude and meridians of longitude. Postal zones are based

on the distance between these area units. The distance is

measured from the center of the area unit containing the

sectional center facility (SCF) serving the origin Post

Office? to the SCF serving the destination Post Office.

The Postal Service is revising the calculation method for

postal zones. Administration of postal zones will be calculated based on the centroid (geometric center) of each 3digit ZIP Code? area or combination of 3-digit ZIP Code

areas. Postal zones will be based on the distance between

these area units. The distance is measured from the centroid of the 3-digit ZIP Code area serving the origin Post

Office to the centroid of the 3-digit ZIP Code area serving

the destination Post Office. The 3-digit ZIP Code areas

serving the origin and destination Post Offices will be

determined by using Labeling List L002, Column A.

Notice 123 ¡ª Price List

The Postal Service will also revise Notice 123 ¡ª Price

List, as applicable, based on standards described in this

article. Revised Notice 123 ¡ª Price List will be effective

July 10, 2022.

Resources

The Postal Service provides additional resources to

assist customers with this price change for competitive

products. These tools include price lists, downloadable

price files, and Federal Register notices, which are available on the Postal Explorer website at pe..

Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates

The Postal Service will publish these revisions in the

DMM on July 10, 2022, which is when these standards

become effective.

Mailing Standards of the United States Postal

Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)

*

*

*

*

postal bulletin 22601 (6-30-22)

5

[Revise the first sentence of the introductory text of 3.4.1 to

read as follows:]

Priority Mail pieces priced at the cubic price must be

marked ¡°Priority Mail¡± and bear the applicable marking that

reflects the correct price tier printed on the piece or produced as part of the postage indicia.***

*

*

*

*

*

*

200

Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and

Parcels

[Add new 3.8 to read as follows and renumber current 3.8

and 3.9 as 3.9 and 3.10:]

201

Physical Standards

3.8

Parcel Select Ground Cubic Markings

3.8.1

Price Marking ¡ª Postage Evidencing Systems

*

7.0

*

*

*

Physical Standards for Parcels

*

7.3

*

*

*

*

*

Maximum Weight and Size

[Revise the second sentence of 7.3 to read as follows:]

***Lower weight limits apply to parcels mailed at cubic,

Regional Rate Box, First-Class Package Service ¡ª Commercial, USPS Marketing Mail, Parcel Select Ground

Cubic, and Bound Printed Matter prices.***

*

8.0

*

*

*

Additional Physical Standards by Class of Mail

*

8.2

*

*

*

*

*

Parcel Select Ground pieces priced at the cubic price must

be marked ¡°Parcel Select Ground¡± and bear the applicable

marking that reflects the correct price tier printed on the

piece or produced as part of the postage indicia. The cubic

tiers are determined by the cubic measurement of each

mailpiece up to the defined threshold, (for example, measurements from .01 up to .10 for ¡°Cubic .10¡± and from .101

up to .20 for ¡°Cubic .20¡±). Place the marking directly above,

directly below, or to the left of the postage. Approved markings are as follows:

a. ¡°Cubic .10.¡±

b. ¡°Cubic .20.¡±

c. ¡°Cubic .30.¡±

d. ¡°Cubic .40.¡±

e. ¡°Cubic .50.¡±

Priority Mail

[Revise the text of 8.2 to read as follows:]

f. ¡°Cubic .60.¡±

The maximum weight is 70 pounds. Lower weight limits

apply to parcels mailed at cubic (20 pounds); Regional Rate

¡°Box A¡± (15 pounds); and Regional Rate ¡°Box B¡± (20

pounds) prices. The combined length and girth of a piece

(the length of its longest side plus the distance around its

thickest part) may not exceed 108 inches. Lower size limits

apply to parcels mailed at Flat Rate, Regional Rate, and

cubic prices. Lower weight and size standards apply for

some APO/FPO and DPO mail subject to 703.2.0 and

703.4.0, and for Department of State mail subject to

703.3.0.

g. ¡°Cubic .70.¡±

*

202

3.0

*

*

*

*

h. ¡°Cubic .80.¡±

i. ¡°Cubic .90.¡±

j. ¡°Cubic 1.00.¡±

3.8.2

Price Marking ¡ª Permit Imprint

Parcel Select Ground permit imprint pieces priced at the

cubic price must be marked ¡°Parcel Select Ground¡± and

bear the ¡°cubic¡± marking printed on the piece or produced

as part of the permit imprint indicia. Place the marking

directly above, directly below, or to the left of the postage.

The approved marking is ¡°Cubic¡± (or ¡°CUBIC,¡± or ¡°cubic¡±).

Elements on the Face of a Mailpiece

3.8.3

*

Regardless of the postage-payment method used, soft

pack and padded envelopes must be marked ¡°Parcel

Select Ground¡± in addition to the tier-price markings in

3.8.1 and the dimensions (length and width) of the original

packaging. Place the markings directly above, directly

below, or to the left of the postage.

*

*

*

*

Placement and Content of Mail Markings

*

*

*

*

*

[Revise the title of 3.4 to read as follows:]

3.4

Priority Mail Cubic Markings

3.4.1

Price Marking ¡ª Postage Evidencing Systems

Soft-Pack and Padded-Envelope Markings

*

*

*

*

*

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download