Tuesday, November 19, 2024
USPS has a new flexible spending accounts administrator
Employees have multiple options for out-of-pocket expenses
A flexible spending account may be a good option for Postal Service employees who wear eyeglasses, visit the dentist more than twice a year, or have other needs.
Flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, allow employees to set aside money on a pretax basis to pay for health care and dependent care expenses.
USPS employees can enroll in an FSA during this year’s open season, which is underway through Monday, Dec. 9.
In 2025, Inspira Financial will replace FSAFEDS as the administrator of the Postal Service’s FSA program.
Inspira will offer a debit card option to pay for eligible expenses. Employees may also pay for out-of-pocket expenses by:
• Paying themselves back with funds from an FSA when they use cash, a check or a personal credit card;
• Paying a provider directly from their account; or
• Using their Inspira card.
To learn more about FSAs, employees should go to the MyHR website’s open season page.
Employees with questions can call Inspira at 833-419-0305, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central.
On the Job
For him, customers are like family
A Guam letter carrier takes pride in his role in the community
My name is James Chong and I’m a letter carrier in Barrigada, a community of about 8,000 in the U.S. territory of Guam.
I joined the Postal Service in 1994 because of its retirement and other benefits, but I quickly gained a respect for all the behind-the-scenes efforts of my fellow employees.
Over the course of three decades, I have encountered and overcome many challenges — including delivering mail in high winds and rain; through flooded streets; and during times of extreme heat. I always find a way to deliver the mail.
My most memorable delivery didn’t involve mail or packages.
While out on my route some years ago, I noticed a toddler running toward the highway while being chased by a pack of stray dogs. I quickly stopped my vehicle, ran to her and pulled her away from the dogs. She was crying hysterically and calling out for her mother. I comforted her, assuring her that she was safe and helped reunite her with her grateful mother.
The incident shook me because at the time it occurred, I had two toddlers myself. As soon as my workday was done, I went home and reminded my children not to leave the house without Mom or Dad and ensured that they knew our address and phone numbers.
My wife, Salamea, and I have two daughters and two grandchildren. My hobbies include spending time with family, hunting, fishing, exploring and off-roading.
I have developed a sense of pride in the important role that I play in the lives of my customers. I try to care for them like they’re my own family and friends.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
HR has a new acting vice president
Department veteran Joseph Bruce named to role
Joseph Bruce has been named acting human resources vice president for the Postal Service.
He succeeds Simon Storey, who retired Sept. 30.
Bruce previously was national human resources senior director, responsible for the organization’s hiring and selection policy; the Human Resources Shared Service Center in Greensboro, NC; and human resources activities for all headquarters and headquarters-related facilities.
He has been with the Postal Service since 1996, first as a paralegal specialist and then moving into several human resources positions, including corporate personnel management manager, national diversity initiatives manager, equal employment opportunity field operations manager and equal employment opportunity compliance and appeals manager for the former Eastern Area.
Bruce “continues to play a key role in driving one of our core objectives of improving our hiring processes and updating existing national human resources policy,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy wrote in a memo announcing the appointment.