Do you know the difference between a deductible and a copayment? If you don’t know, you’re not alone. Many people are confused by health insurance terminology. To help you navigate your way through this year’s open season, here are some important definitions: • Deductible: This is the amount you pay for covered health care services […]
The Postal Service wants employees and customers to remember that cigarette and utility lighters must be authorized to enter the mailstream via surface transportation, such as USPS Retail Ground or Parcel Select. Cigarette and utility lighters are prohibited from air transportation — such as Priority Mail, First-Class Mail and First-Class Package Service — and from […]
The following message is from Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan: As Thanksgiving Day draws near, I would like to express my gratitude to each and every one of you. In another year filled with opportunities and challenges, the men and women of the United States Postal Service delivered — for our customers, the American public, […]
Elliottsburg, PA, Rural Carrier Kathryn Walters was recently making deliveries when she grew concerned about a customer whose mail was piling up. No one answered when Walters knocked on the man’s front door, so she alerted a neighbor who contacted local police. Officers discovered the man collapsed inside his home with no memory of what […]
For more than 30 years, Joe Owens kept the same health insurance provider. But that changed in 2017 when he decided to try out Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans, an online research tool. “I was able to pick multiple plans, compare the coverage they provide and compare premiums and estimated out-of-pocket expenses,” said Owens, a […]
It didn’t take Andy Nanca long to come up with a Halloween costume this year. Nanca, a field sales representative for Pacific Area’s Sacramento District, dressed as “Informed Delivery Man” — complete with an oversized image of an Informed Delivery email that he wore like a sandwich board. “I’m always looking for new ways to […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees with travel cards to prepare for the transition to new cards this month. The Citi commercial travel cards that employees currently use will expire Nov. 29 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Most employees have already received new Citi commercial travel cards, which will become active Nov. 30. Citibank distributes the […]
Highlights from the recent Hanukkah stamp dedication ceremony are featured in a new video. The Postal Service and Israel Post jointly dedicated the stamp Oct. 16 at the 225-year-old Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI. “A postage stamp is not only a means of indicating payment for postage. It is a symbol, like a flag, like […]
Shopping around. The Link team is working on a story about how the online shopping boom is helping to drive increases in the package business. Do you know a customer who plans to do a lot — or maybe all — of his or her holiday shopping online this year? If you do — and […]
The Postal Service’s new holiday TV commercial, “Surprise Encounter,” is delightful. I’m amazed at how much information can be packed into a 30-second spot. […]
City Carrier Assistant Martin Navejas was recently delivering mail in an Arvada, CO, neighborhood when he encountered an older customer in distress. At the woman’s front door, she struggled to speak normally, and she motioned toward her oxygen mask lying nearby. Navejas checked the tank and found that it was not functioning properly, so he […]
Postal Service employees who served in the armed forces were honored at recent Veterans Day-themed events across the nation. Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan spoke at a ceremony at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, where she praised the more than 100,000 veterans who are part of the organization’s workforce. “Everyone at the Postal Service is […]
In a new video, the Postal Service shares highlights from the recent Madonna and Child by Bachiacca stamp dedication ceremony in Santa Fe, NM. The stamp features an Italian Renaissance portrait of the Virgin Mary embracing Jesus. Francesco d’Ubertino Verdi, also known as Bachiacca, painted the image in the 1520s. Customer Experience Vice President Kelly […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.59 percent during the week ending Nov. 9, down from one week earlier. Dakotas (98.89 percent) topped the districts, while Western (97.78 percent) led the areas. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and mail, and it helps USPS improve efficiency and network management. To see […]
Postal Service employees can compare health plans during this year’s open season using Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans. Checkbook has information about all plans available through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB). The comparison tool allows you to find the right health plan for you and your family. It includes information on copays, deductibles, […]
Thanks for highlighting the discounts that University of Maryland University College and Peirce College are offering to USPS employees. […]
Lisa Reed, a contract delivery service driver, was recently delivering mail in Blue Hill, ME, when she spotted an older customer collapsed on a patio. Reed rushed to check on the woman, who said she’d been lying there for six hours. After calling 911, Reed located a pillow and blanket for the customer and comforted […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.75 percent during the week ending Nov. 2, up from one week earlier. Dakotas (99.07 percent) topped the districts, while Western (97.9 percent) led the areas. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and mail, and it helps USPS improve efficiency and network management. To see […]
The following message is from Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan: This Veterans Day marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the milestone that established Nov. 11 as the day set aside to honor those who have served in the American armed forces. The Postal Service is proud to be one of […]
The Postal Service is using the mail to help employees get in the holiday spirit. The organization is sending employees a direct mailpiece that highlights the important role they play during the holiday season. “You help Santa deliver to millions of homes. He may get all the credit, but he couldn’t do it without you,” […]
Postal Service employees can participate in an online virtual benefits fair throughout this year’s open season, which runs from Nov. 12-Dec. 10. The fair offers information about the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB), Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP), as well as flexible spending […]
Print catalogs are still important in the age of online shopping, the news site Digiday reported recently. Catalogs offer “an incredible opportunity to deliver a rich, tactile shopping experience to our customers,” Bob Sherwin, a marketing executive for Wayfair, an online furniture retailer, told the site. Wayfair uses sales data and other information to send catalogs […]
Letter Carrier Jeffrey Caudill was recently delivering mail in an Upper Sandusky, OH, neighborhood when he saw a trail of blood in a driveway — leading from eyeglasses to a parked car. Caudill stopped and discovered an injured customer sitting in the vehicle. The man — who had fallen and struck his head — had […]
The recent Link article that highlighted Native American stamps was very nice. […]
Postal Service employees across the nation are expressing pride in the organization’s vital work before the Nov. 6 midterm elections. USPS is delivering millions of Election Mail and Political Mail pieces, including ballots, voter registration cards, polling place information and campaign materials. “We always give Election Mail and Political Mail priority treatment,” said William Connor, […]
Myron Wilson believes accurate scanning is one of the most important responsibilities of his job. “Customers want to track their packages on usps.com. They want to know when it’s going to be delivered,” the Fort Pierce, FL, letter carrier says. This makes accurate scanning an important part of the Postal Service’s efforts to improve customers’ […]
Open season, the annual period when Postal Service employees can change their health benefits or enroll in a new plan, begins Monday, Nov. 12. A variety of health, vision and dental coverage is available through the following plans and programs: Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) USPS Health Benefits Plan (USPSHBP) for non-career employees only […]
This Veterans Day marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the milestone that established Nov. 11 as the day set aside to honor those who have served in the American armed forces. The holiday is especially significant to the Postal Service, one of the nation’s largest employers of veterans. The organization […]
Letter Carrier John Lamparyk was recently delivering mail in a Lakewood, OH, neighborhood when a jogger alerted him to a fire on the front porch of a nearby home. While 911 was called, Lamparyk rushed to the scene and grabbed a garden hose connected to the house next door. By the time firefighters arrived, the […]
I love reading Link articles. […]