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Be prepared: Good advice for emergency preparedness

"Be prepared." That's good advice for everyone - and the Postal ServiceTM is helping employees do just that.

On Sept. 9, 2004, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge officially dubbed September National Preparedness Month. More than 80 federal, state, local and government agencies are participating. The Postal Service will be mailing a household readiness guide called Prepared, to every employee's home. The guide stresses the importance of preparation for any emergency - from natural disaster to a terrorist attack.

"The Postal Service can respond to disasters in the workplace and in our service areas," said Emergency Preparedness Vice President Henry Pankey. "Like the rest of the nation, USPSŪ employees also should prepare themselves, their families and their household for emergencies."

Prepared follows the theme "What to have in your head, what to have in your hand, what to have in your home." It includes the following:

• Helpful checklists.

• Emergency response information.

• Specific information for weather disasters, fires, earthquakes, etc.

• Tips for people with special needs.

• Emergency reference cards.

Emergency preparedness is as simple as planning ahead - watch for Prepared coming this month and share the information with your family, friends and neighbors.

Winning with ACE: Advanced Computing Environment delivered ahead of schedule and under budget

Everything's coming up ACEs! Information Technology has completed deployment of the Advanced Computing Environment (ACE) ahead of schedule and $80 million below plan. It's a remarkable success for the Postal ServiceTM.

"Our technology infrastructure is one of the largest in the world," says Chief Technology Officer Robert Otto. "With ACE, we have built a framework for faster deployment of business solutions. We've improved efficiency and helped USPSŪ reduce operating costs.

This happened through teamwork, especially by districts that were among the first to fully deploy ACE: Greater Indiana, Dallas, Louisiana, Central Plains, Central Florida, Greater Michigan, South Georgia, Greensboro, Royal Oak, Spokane and Erie.

ACE upgraded more than 130,000 computers, retired 12,000 servers and converted more than 150,000 e-mail users. Everyone has experienced the advantages of ACE - faster desktops, increased network speed, universal access and 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week availability!

ACE has won six awards for its design and functionality. It's used as a model in many other federal agencies and private businesses.

Simplicity. Reliability. Accessibility. Everyone's a winner with ACE.

Three good causes: Customers and USPS show they care through semipostal sales

Customers have purchased more than 549.5 million Breast Cancer Research stamps since July 1998, raising $39.6 million for research.

The Heroes of 2001 stamp has raised $9.9 million to aid families of rescue workers affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with 124.7 million stamps sold since its issue in June 2002.

And 16.9 million Stop Family Violence stamps have been sold since October 2003, raising $1.2 million for Department of Health and Human Services domestic violence programs.

Semipostal stamps are priced at 45 cents and are valid for the 37-cent First-Class MailŪ rate. The extra money, minus administrative costs, goes to the designated cause.

Absentee voting express: Ballots for U.S. military forces deployed overseas to be expedited

The Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) is working to make sure U.S. service members deployed around the world have speedy service to get their votes counted in this fall's presidential election - and the Postal ServiceTM is doing what it can to help MPSA get the job done.

More than 5,000 county and municipal election officials around the U.S. will be asked to separate Army and fleet Post Office (APO/FPO) absentee ballots for registered voters in the military. Local Post OfficesTM will consolidate and hand off to processing and distribution center and airport mail center/facility Express MailŪ distribution units for expedited delivery to military mail gateways in San Francisco, New York and Miami.

At the gateways, the ballots will be sorted to military ZIP CodesTM and placed in specially marked letter trays for delivery to the Military Postal Service overseas. Completed ballots will be postmarked at the APO or FPO and given priority handling in specially marked letter trays for return to the United States. Back at the gateways, the ballot envelopes will be sorted and receive special handling by USPSŪ in transit to the local communities.

The proof is in the mail: Proof of delivery goes electronic

Return receipts - those ubiquitous green cards that have graced the back of Certified MailTM pieces for years - just joined the digital age. Customers can now request a Return Receipt (Electronic) to go along with special services.

Electronic Return Receipts, just like their hard-copy counterparts, provide proof of delivery for Certified Mail, Registered MailTM, Collect on Delivery and Numbered Insured Mail pieces.

So, what's different about the electronic version? The customer gets a delivery notification electronically - as an e-mail attachment - instead of as a postcard in the mail. It's a PDF file that opens using Adobe Acrobat software. The recipient's signature and address are taken from the printed PS Form 3849, Delivery Notice/Reminder/Receipt - no green card is used!

After customers purchase the Return Receipt (Electronic), they must go to www.usps.com and enter the label number printed on their POS ONE receipt or accountable mail label receipt. Then they enter the e-mail address to which they would like the Return Receipt (Electronic) sent. Notifications usually arrive within 48 hours of delivery.

Return Receipt (Electronic) is not available to APO/FPO addresses or U.S. territories, possessions and freely associated states.

Administrative Services

Directives and Forms Update

Effective immediately, Publication 223, Directives and Forms Catalog (June 1999), is revised. The tables below contain the document ID, edition date, title, PSN (Postal ServiceTM stock number), and the Postal Service and public supply source for all new, revised, and obsolete directives and forms. Use this article to keep Publication 223 current. Information on how to order directives and forms is available in chapter 1 of Publication 223.

Publication 223 is available electronically at www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub223.pdf.

New Directives

Handbooks

Memorandums of Policy

Notices

Posters

New Forms

Revised Directives

Labels

Manuals

Revised Forms

Obsolete Directives

Management Instructions

Memorandums of Policy

Obsolete Forms

- Information Policies and Procedures, Public Affairs and Communications, 9-16-04

Customer Relations

Mail Alert

The mailings below will be deposited in the near future. Offices should honor the requested home delivery dates. Mailers wishing to participate in these alerts, for mailings of 1 million pieces or more, should contact Business Service Network Integration at 202-268-2225 at least 1 month preceding the requested delivery dates. The Postal ServiceTM also offers electronic Mail Alerts via ADVANCE. For more information, see the ADVANCE Notification & Tracking System Technical Guide on the Internet at http://www.ribbs.usps.gov/files/advance/ADVTECH.PDF or contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-458-3181.