The importance of flexible spending accounts (FSAs) is explained in a newly updated video from the Postal Service. FSAs, one of several options available to employees during the open season benefits enrollment period, can help employees reduce their taxable income and save on yearly health or dependent care costs. The 4-minute video explains the two […]
Santa Claus is once again getting a helping hand from the Postal Service. Operation Santa, an annual USPS program that allows employees and customers to aid families in need by “adopting” their letters to St. Nick and granting their holiday wishes, will resume Monday, Dec. 3. This year, the Postal Service is offering two versions […]
Letter Carrier Kamanski Dennis was recently on the job in Altamonte Springs, FL, when he noticed that a customer hadn’t picked up a prescription delivery he’d previously left in her mailbox. Dennis took the delivery to the woman’s front door. When she greeted him, she collapsed into his arms and stopped breathing. The Postal Service […]
The Postal Service is offering two holiday postmarks this year. From Dec. 1-Jan. 4, all First-Class Mail stamps will be canceled using the national postmark, which shows Santa Claus and his sleigh of reindeer flying over treetops. Additionally, customers can have stamps on holiday cards canceled using a North Pole postmark. Here’s how to do […]
The Postal Service recently released this year’s Spanish-language holiday TV commercial. The 30-second spot, titled “Close Knit Delivery,” shows a young girl who is concerned that Santa Claus won’t receive any Christmas gifts of his own. With help from her grandmother, the girl makes St. Nick a gift and ships it to him through Priority […]
Information, please. The Postal Service will hold its fourth and final webinar during this year’s open season Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 4-5 p.m. EST. The webinar will include updates on what’s new and information on the tools and resources available to employees. Participation is voluntary and off-the-clock. Additionally, employees can participate in an online virtual […]
Letter Carrier Jack Tanksley Jr. was recently delivering mail in an Edmond, OK, neighborhood when a customer, Doris Nelson, collapsed at her curbside mailbox. Tanksley rushed to Nelson’s aid, called 911 and comforted her until emergency responders arrived. She later mailed a letter to the local Post Office to commend Tanksley for providing compassionate assistance. […]
Link is a godsend. Thanks for keeping Postal Service employees informed. […]
The Postal Service is once again helping deliver letters full of Christmas wishes to St. Nick. The Letters from Santa program, which began more than 100 years ago, allows children to mail letters to Santa Claus and receive a personalized reply in an envelope with a special North Pole postmark. To participate, parents and guardians […]
USPS is holding webinars for employees who want to learn more about the offerings available during this year’s open season. The next webinars will be held Thursday, Nov. 29, from noon-1 p.m. EST, and Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 4-5 p.m. EST. Each webinar will include updates on what’s new and information on the tools and […]
USPS wants to recognize bargaining unit employees who demonstrate positivity and who go above and beyond the call of duty for their work and their colleagues. These individuals will be honored through Engagement Most Valuable Players (EMVP), one of several programs that help the Postal Service to engage and empower employees, a core strategy. Each […]
Mail inventory at USPS processing facilities is about to get easier. The Postal Service will soon introduce Mail Condition Visualization (MCV), an Informed Visibility module that will provide users with near-real-time data, allowing them to quickly address issues and adjust flows at the mail processing facilities where they work. MCV receives near-real-time information on mail-related […]
Thomas Jasak contributes to Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charities each year to support medical research studies like those that helped his daughter, Theresa. Thomas, a Vaucluse, SC, postal support employee, and his wife, Christina, adopted Theresa and four other children with special needs. Theresa, 18, was four months old when she was diagnosed with several […]
Rural Carrier Associate Cassandra Dieckmann was recently collecting mail at a Rapid City, SD, shopping center when she saw a car speed through the parking lot and crash into a storefront. While another witness called 911, Dieckmann rushed to the scene to check on the occupants of the vehicle. The Postal Service employee rendered first […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.65 percent during the week ending Nov. 16, up from one week earlier. Dakotas (98.86 percent) topped the districts, while Western (97.91 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 Postal Service wants you to remember to use PostalEASE to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) or the USPS Health Benefits Plan (USPSHBP) during this year’s open season. You can access PostalEASE from the Benefits Enrollment Changes page on the Open Season LiteBlue page or by calling the employee service line […]
The Postal Service is providing managers and supervisors with information to help employees stay safe during the busy holiday season. The USPS Safety Toolkit site will feature daily stand-up talks on safety topics that managers and supervisors can deliver to their employees. Managers, supervisors and safety ambassadors will be available throughout the season to answer […]
Rural Carrier Marie Moore was recently delivering mail in a Cape Coral, FL, neighborhood when she discovered a customer, Merv Hart, who had collapsed while mowing his lawn. Moore immediately called 911 and stayed with the customer until paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital. His wife, Pat, later mailed a letter to the […]
The Postal Service is providing employees with additional guidance on the transition to SmartPay 3 travel cards. Employees currently use Citi commercial travel cards that are issued under the U.S. General Services Administration’s SmartPay 2 program. These cards will expire Nov. 29 and be replaced by Citi commercial travel cards that are issued under SmartPay […]
The Postal Service’s recent dedication ceremony for the Sparkling Holidays stamps is highlighted in a new video. The stamps feature four iconic images of Santa Claus created by commercial artist Haddon Sundblom for Coca-Cola advertisements that ran from the 1940s-1960s. “The paintings of the rosy-cheeked, smiling, grandfatherly man in his red suit came to embody […]
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. […]