Domestic Mail (Continued)

REVISED LABEL

Label 11-B, Express Mail Mailing Label - Post Office to Addressee

In an ongoing effort to improve the service performance of Express Mail® service, we have revised Label 11-B, Express Mail Mailing Label - Post Office to Addressee, to more clearly identify domestic and international destinations. A copy of Label 11-B appears on page 2 in this Postal Bulletin.

The revised label, which has an edition date of March 2004, clearly states that the boxes for the ZIP+4® code in the address area are for U.S. addresses only. The customer must not enter foreign postal codes in those boxes.

For items going to international destinations by Global Express MailTM, the customer must enter the foreign postal code in the address area immediately above the ZIP+4 boxes and must enter the complete destination country name in the block immediately below the ZIP+4 boxes.

To help avoid delivery delays, a retail or acceptance clerk who receives a Global Express MailTM piece with a foreign postal code in the ZIP+4 boxes must obliterate the code from the boxes and rewrite the code in the address area immediately above the boxes.

Additional modifications to Label 11-B include a:

• "Flat Rate" option in the "Weight" box.

• "2nd. Del. Day" option in the "Day of Delivery" box.

• "Scheduled Date of Delivery" box.

Until further notice, Post OfficeTM facilities must continue to use current usable supplies of the September 2002 edition of Label 11-B - they must not dispose of such labels.

Customers and Postal ServiceTM personnel can order copies of Label 11-B by calling the Expedited Package Supply Center at 800-610-8734 or by going online to supplies.usps.gov (under "Browse Store" and "Shipping Supplies," click on Personal Use and then on Express Mail Post Office to Addressee Label).

- International Product Development,
Product Development, 8-19-04

Employees

NOTICE

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance - Open Season

To celebrate this year's 50th anniversary of the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is conducting a FEGLI Open Season from September 1 through September 30, 2004. Elections made during this open season will become effective no earlier than September 1, 2005 (1 year later), and only for employees who meet pay and duty requirements.

OPM will mail directly to each employee's home address an open season package including the Open Season Election Form, FE-2004. The Material Distribution Center (MDC) also will make an automatic distribution of FEGLI Open Season materials to field personnel offices before the open season. Field personnel offices are responsible for publicizing this open season (see pull-out poster on page 3).

If you are making an election, fill out the form and forward it to your field personnel offices. Field personnel offices must collect the filled-out FE-2004 forms and enter the data from those forms into the Complement Management and Selection (CMS) system.

The Inspection Service and the Office of the Inspector General must order the FEGLI Program Booklet (FE 76-21, formerly RI 76-21) in accordance with OPM Benefits Administration Letter 04-205, dated July 16, 2004.

- Compensation,
Employee Resource Management, 8-19-04

EMPLOYEE SAFETY TALK

Only You Can Prevent a Roll-Away or Runaway Vehicle Accident

Recent events and trends indicate the need for stepped- up employee awareness on preventing roll-away and runaway vehicle accidents. Below is a safety talk to share with your employees who have driving privileges. This talk will remind them of the proper requirements for securing a vehicle and preventing roll-away and runaway vehicle accidents.

Background

Requirements for properly securing a vehicle and avoiding roll-away and runaway vehicle accidents have been around for a long time. These requirements are stressed in employee driver training programs and employee safety talks and are corrected during driver observations.

Yet every delivery day countless employees leave the controls of their vehicles without properly securing the vehicle and safeguarding them against roll-away and runaway accidents. National vehicle accident data bears out these behaviors. In the last 9 months 201 roll-away and runaway vehicle accidents have occurred. This averages to around one roll-away and/or runaway vehicle accident per delivery day!

This is something we cannot be proud of by any means! Having a vehicle running or rolling unattended is not an image we want to portray to our customers and the general public. In addition to tarnishing our image, these types of motor vehicle accidents sustain injuries to employees, injuries to our customers, vehicle damage, and private property damage.

What?

Operators experiencing roll-away and runaway vehicle accidents have been pinned by their Postal Service vehicle, have fallen under the wheels of their vehicle while chasing it down the street, and have allowed their unattended vehicle to strike members of the community they were servicing. Our unattended vehicles also have struck parked vehicles along streets, homes and businesses, trees, and moving private vehicles in streets and intersections, and they have ended up in the backyard pool of one of our customers.

Why?

Generally, contributing factors to roll-away and runaway vehicle accidents are operators in a hurry, taking short cuts, and not properly securing the vehicle when leaving its controls. Typically, when a roll-away and runaway vehicle accident does occur, it is not the first time the operator failed to properly secure the vehicle. In most cases the operator has established a behavior of not properly securing the vehicle, and that behavior has been reinforced countless times when nothing adverse happened. Then one day, the operator experiences a roll-away and runaway vehicle accident.

Who?

Our roll-away and runaway vehicle accident data shows that this type of accident occurs across the spectrum of our employee types. It ranges from the new driver with less than 1 month of service to the professional driver with 30-plus years of service.

Make it Happen!

• Please properly secure your vehicle when leaving the controls.

• It is the right thing to do.

• It is a job requirement.

• No excuses can justify having one of our vehicles rolling or running down a street unattended.

You as vehicle operators, ultimately make all decisions regarding safe operation of the vehicle. Therefore, you are the one that can make it not happen!

Below are the proper requirements for securing a vehicle and avoiding this unwanted moving experience.

• Place the gear selector in "Park."

• Curb and/or turn the wheels to minimize vehicle travel distance should any of the above steps fail to keep your vehicle from rolling and/or running away.

• Turn off the engine.

• Remove the key.

• Set the parking brake.

- Safety Performance Management,
Employee Resource Management, 8-19-04

Finance

CLARIFICATION - HANDBOOK F-1 REVISION

Credit and Debit Card Refunds, Retrievals, Chargebacks, Undercharges, and Overcharges

This article clarifies the article "Credit and Debit Card Refunds, Retrievals, Chargebacks, Undercharges, and Overcharges" published in Postal Bulletin 22114 (10-30-03, pages 81-83).

We will incorporate these revisions into the next update of the online version of Handbook F-1 accessible on the Postal ServiceTM PolicyNet Web site.

• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

• Under "Essential Links" in the left-hand column, click on References.

• Under "References" in the right-hand column, click on PolicyNet.

• Then click on HBKs.

(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

* * * * *

3 Managing Postal Funds

31 Acceptable Payment for Postal Goods and Services

* * * * *

317 Credit and Debit Cards

* * * * *

317.8 Overcharges

317.81 Credit Card Overcharges

* * * * *

Subsequent Day

[Revise the Subsequent Day section to read as follows:]

If a customer reports an error after the day of the transaction, then the postmaster, supervisor, or designated employee at the postal retail unit or Post Office verifies that the customer's credit card was overcharged. The postal retail unit or Post Office then calls the Accounting Help Desk (AHD) to get information about the documentation required to process the adjustment.

Note: ASCs are the only facilities authorized to issue credit to card companies for transactions that originate at postal retail units and Post Offices.

* * * * *

317.83 Debit Card Overcharges

* * * * *

Subsequent Day

[Revise the Subsequent Day section to read as follows:]

If a customer reports an error after the day of the transaction, then the postmaster, supervisor, or designated employee at the postal retail unit or Post Office verifies that the customer's debit card was overcharged. The postal retail unit or Post Office then calls the Accounting Help Desk (AHD) to obtain information about the documentation required to process the adjustment.

* * * * *

- Revenue and Field Accounting,
Finance, 8-19-04

International Mail

IMM AND PUBLICATION 51 REVISION

Iraq - Resumption of Service

Effective August 21, 2004, the International Mail Manual (IMM) and Publication 51, International Postal Rates and Fees, are revised to reflect that the U.S. Postal Service® is resuming most mail services to Iraq. All services will be available with the exception of some Special Services.

We will incorporate these revisions into the printed version of IMM 31 and into the next printed version of Publication 51, and also into the online versions of the IMM and Publication 51, both of which are available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.gov.

International Mail Manual (IMM)

* * * * *

Individual Country Listings

* * * * *

Iraq

Country Conditions for Mailing

[Remove the introductory paragraph starting "Effective August 14, 2003..." (about mail service being limited to airmail letter-post items).]

* * * * *

Airmail Parcel Post Rates

[Remove the note saying "Service Suspended" and add airmail parcel post rates to read as follows:]

* * * * *

Economy Mail Parcel Post Rates

[Remove the note saying "Service Suspended" and add economy airmail parcel post rates to read as follows:]

* * * * *

Special Services

[Revise the text for the Special Services to read as follows (indicating revisions to all Special Services except

Certificate of Mailing, COD and Certified, International Money Order, and International Reply Coupons):]

Certificate of Mailing

See 313 for fees

COD and Certified

NOT for International Mail

Insurance (320)

NOT Available

International Business Reply Service (373)

NOT Available

International Money Order (371)

NOT Available

International Reply Coupons (372)

Fee: $1.75

Recorded Delivery (360)

NOT Available

Registered Mail (330)

NOT Available

Restricted Delivery (350)

NOT Available

Return Receipt (340)

NOT Available

* * * * *

Publication 51, International Postal Rates and Fees

* * * * *

Country Listing

[In the Country Listing, revise the entry for Iraq to read as follows (removing the sign "<" after the country name - that sign indicates that mailing restrictions currently apply to a country, but the Postal Service has removed mailing restrictions to Iraq - and showing revisions in the "Parcel Post Insurance Indemnity Limit ($)" column and the "GXG Rate Group" column):]

* * * * *

- Mailing Standards,
Pricing and Classification, 8-19-04

REVISED LABEL

Label 11-B, Express Mail Mailing Label - Post Office to Addressee

Please see the article "Label 11-B, Express Mail Mailing Label - Post Office to Addressee" (the article begins on page 1; a copy of the label is on page 2), in the Domestic Mail section in this Postal Bulletin. The article contains information relevant to international mail because Label 11-B is used for both domestic and international destinations.

- International Product Development,
Product Development, 8-19-04

Philately

STAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 04-28

Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Stamp

The Postal ServiceTM will issue a 37-cent, Sickle Cell Disease Awareness commemorative stamp (Item 456900) in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20, in one design on September 29, 2004, in Atlanta, Georgia. The stamp, illustrated by James Gurney of Rhinebeck, New York, goes on sale nationwide September 30, 2004.

With the Sickle Cell Disease Awareness issue, the Postal Service calls attention to an important health issue. Common throughout the world, sickle cell disease refers to a group of inherited disorders that affect the red blood cells. People of all races should be screened with a simple blood test to determine if they have the disease or carry the inherited sickle cell trait.

Art director Howard Paine and artist James Gurney settled on a humanistic approach; Gurney's oil painting stresses the love between parent and child. Typographer John Boyd created the legend across the top reading "TEST EARLY FOR SICKLE CELL."

How to Order First Day of Issue Postmark

Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post OfficeTM, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store Web site at www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

SICKLE CELL DISEASE AWARENESS COMMEMORATIVE STAMP
POSTMASTER
3900 CROWN RD
ATLANTA GA 30321-9998

After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by October 28, 2004.

How to Order First Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

There are no philatelic products for this stamp issue.

Distribution: 37-cent Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Commemorative Stamp, Item 456900

Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive approximately one-half the standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (40,000 stamps).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of one-half their standard automatic distribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before September 23, 2004.

Philatelic Requirement

SDOs with authorized philatelic centers will receive an automatic distribution of these stamps in 10 positions for subsequent distribution to each philatelic window.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional Item 456900 must requisition them from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional stamps must order them from the appropriate accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17.

For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, the Chicago APD will receive 7,800,000 additional stamps; the New York and Memphis APDs will each receive 7,000,000 additional stamps; the San Francisco APD will receive 6,000,000 additional stamps; and the Denver APD will receive 1,800,000 additional stamps. For fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs, the Kansas City Stamp Services Center will receive 4,000,000 additional stamps.

Sales Policy

All Post Offices must acquire and maintain a supply of each new commemorative stamp as long as customer demand exists, until inventory is depleted, or until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale. If supplies run low, Post Offices must reorder additional quantities using their normal ordering procedures.

- Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 8-19-04

STAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 04-29

Atlas Presorted Stamp

The Postal ServiceTM will issue a nondenominated, presorted standard (10-cent value) Atlas stamp (Item 791100) in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) coil of 10,000 in one design on September 13, 2004, in Washington, DC (no ceremony). The stamp, designed by Kevin Newman of Santa Monica, California, goes on sale nationwide September 14, 2004.

The Atlas stamp was previously issued on June 29, 2001, in a PSA coil of 10,000 (Item 791200).

How to Order First Day of Issue Postmark

Customers have 90 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post OfficeTM, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store Web site at www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

ATLAS DEFINITIVE STAMP
POSTMASTER
SPECIAL CANCELLATIONS
PO BOX 922820
WASHINGTON DC 200900-2282

After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by December 12, 2004.

How to Order First Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

There are no philatelic products for this stamp issue.

Distribution: Item 791100, Atlas, Presorted Standard Rate, PSA Coil of 3,000

Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will not receive an automatic distribution of Item 791100. SDOs requiring Item 791100 must order them from their designated accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return.

Initial Supply to Post Offices

Post Offices requiring quantities of Item 791100 must order them from their designated SDO using a separate PS Form 17. SDOs must not distribute these stamps to Post Offices before September 7, 2004.

Philatelic Requirement

Philatelic centers requiring the Atlas PSA coil of 3,000 must order Item 791100 from their designated SDO using a separate PS Form 17.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional coils must requisition them from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional coils must order them from the appropriate APD using PS Form 17.

For fulfilling orders from SDOs, the San Francisco, Chicago, Memphis, and New York APDs will each receive 2,400 coils; the Denver APD will receive 700 coils. For fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs, the Kansas City Stamp Services Center will receive 21,600 coils.

- Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 8-19-04

UPDATED ANNOUNCEMENT 04-E

2004 Stamps and Postal Stationery

"2004 Stamps and Postal Stationery" (Announcement 04-E, August 2004), which appears on page 4, is intended to replace the quarterly announcement of the same name, previously printed and sent to customers on request through Stamp Fulfillment Services in Kansas City. The announcement is a listing of stamps and postal stationery items scheduled for issuance during calendar year 2004. Post OfficesTM may wish to post this schedule on their bulletin boards.

Customers may also access the Postal Bulletin through the Postal ServiceTM Web site at www.usps.com; click on About USPS & News, then Forms & Publications, then Postal Bulletin.

This announcement will be updated every 2 to 3 months, as changes warrant.

How to Order First Day of Issue Cancellations and Covers

Customers may purchase new stamps or postal stationery items at their Post Office, from the USA Philatelic catalog, by calling 800-STAMP-24, or online at www.usps.com by clicking on Buy Stamps & Shop. Then they should prepare their own covers by affixing new stamps to the upper- right corner of envelopes or postcards of their choice, and address those envelopes, postcards, or postal stationery items to themselves or others. (Postage must equal the current First-Class Mail® rate.) For sturdiness, include a card of postcard thickness in each cover (envelopes only) submitted, and tuck in the flap. Place the cover in a larger envelope addressed to:

NAME OF ISSUE
POSTMASTER
CITY STATE ZIP CODE (followed by -9991).

Covers submitted for first day of issue cancellations may include additional uncancelled stamps only if the uncancelled stamps were issued before the first day of issue of the new stamps or postal stationery items. All orders must be postmarked on or before the deadline indicated in the "2004 Stamps and Postal Stationery" announcement that follows.

INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014

- Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 8-19-04

Pictorial Cancellations Announcement

As a community service, the Postal ServiceTM offers pictorial cancellations to commemorate local events celebrated in communities throughout the nation. A list of events for which pictorial cancellations are authorized appears below. If available, the sponsor of the pictorial cancellation appears in italics under the date. Also provided, as space permits, are illustrations of those cancellations that were reproducible and available at press time.

People attending these local events may obtain the cancellation in person at the temporary Post OfficeTM station established there. Those who cannot attend the event, but who wish to obtain the cancellation, may submit a mail order request. Pictorial cancellations are available only for the dates indicated, and requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the requested pictorial cancellation date.

All requests must include a stamped envelope or postcard bearing at least the minimum First-Class Mail® postage. Items submitted for cancellation may not include postage issued after the date of the requested cancellation. Such items will be returned unserviced.

Customers wishing to obtain a cancellation should affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others,insert a card of postcard thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address it to: PICTORIAL CANCELLATIONS, followed by the NAME OF THE STATION,ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP+4® CODE, exactly as listed below (using all capitals and no punctuation, except thehyphen in the ZIP+4 code).

Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for cancellation, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address. After applying the pictorial cancellation, the Postal Service returns the items (with or without addresses) under addressed protective cover.

- Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 8-19-04

Post Offices

OFFICIALS WHO INSTALL POSTMASTERS AND OFFICERS-IN-CHARGE

PS Form 8020, Report of Installation (Postmaster or Officer-In-Charge)

Postmaster Finder, online at www.usps.com/postmasterfinder, is the Postal Service'sTM national historic record of postmasters by Post OfficeTM. To ensure the accuracy of this public record, when installing a postmaster or officer-in-charge, please send a completed copy of PS Form 8020, Report of Installation (Postmaster or Officer-In- Charge), to the following address:

HISTORIAN
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
475 L'ENFANT PLZ SW RM 2P400
WASHINGTON DC 20260-0012

Complete PS Form 8020 for all postmaster and officer- in-charge installations and for all Post Office service suspensions. Provide the full names of employees and, if applicable, give the reason for the transfer, such as detail, leave, promotion, or retirement. Also use the form whenever an incumbent officer-in-charge is promoted to postmaster at the same Post Office, that is, list the individual on the form twice, as the outgoing officer-in-charge and as the incoming postmaster.

You can obtain PS Form 8020 the following ways:

• By visiting the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site:

- Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

- Under "Essential Links" in the left-hand column, click on References.

- Under "References" in the right-hand column, click on PolicyNet.

- Click on Forms.

(The direct URL for the