Last week, Link offered an update on some benefits changes that began with the new year.
Higher maximums took effect for flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and commuter benefits, and employees may now contribute more to the Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP.
Beginning Jan. 28, the TSP will also allow participants to convert traditional funds to Roth funds within their accounts.
And we reminded USPS employees who use an Inspira debit card for flexible spending account purchases to keep documentation in case verification is needed later.
Link also passed along Postal Service reminders on the importance of impartiality in the workplace; the necessity of protecting the organization’s network from phishing scams; and the proper storage of deicing and anti-skid chemical products.
In other news, there was a cautionary tale from the USPS Office of Inspector General about a former mail processing clerk sentenced to prison for stealing checks from the mailstream; and the 2026 stamp program kicked off with Angel’s Trumpets, a 4-cent release in the Low Denomination Flowers series.
“On the Job” profiled Jon Kwon, a letter carrier in Syosset, NY; and “Off the Clock” spotlighted Stacy Shuda, a solutions architect in the chief information officer’s organization in Eagan, MN, who monitors bluebird nest boxes in her off hours.
The “People” column told the story of New Jersey letter carriers Travis Lapi and Alyssa Dickerson Lapi, newlyweds who met on the job; and “Heroes” highlighted Yanira “J” Crosser, a retail associate in Algona, IA, who stopped a scam in its tracks when she sensed an older customer was being taken advantage of.
Crosser alerted Postmaster Casey McGill, who contacted the Postal Inspection Service and the local police department.
The customer took the advice not to mail his money order and an investigation later found that he had nearly fallen victim to a scam.
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