DOCSLIB.ORG

DME MAC Jurisdiction C

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
DME MAC Jurisdiction C WINTER 2020 DME MAC Jurisdiction C © 2020 Copyright, CGS Administrators, LLC. TWO VANTAGE WAY | NASHVILLE, TN 37228-1504 | CGSMEDICARE.COM DME MAC JURISDICTION C SUPPLIER MANUAL WINTER 2020 UPDATE We IMPACT lives. January 2020 Dear Supplier: The Winter 2020 version of the DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual has been released. Please read the updated manual carefully. The DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual is designed to provide vital, current DME MAC information. Supplier Manual updates are issued quarterly. Any new or revised material in this revision is shown in red text, while all text that has remained unchanged is shown in black text. Note that Web addresses/hyperlinks are an exception to this rule, as they are displayed in blue or teal. A summary of the changes is listed below. We strongly recommend using electronic copies of the Supplier Manual in order to ensure that you are using the most recent version. You can find the latest version of the Supplier Manual on our website at http://www.cgsmedicare.com/jc/pubs/supman/index.html. Please be sure to read the DME MAC Insider (the Jurisdiction C quarterly newsletter) for additional information. The DME MAC Insider is available on our website at http://www.cgsmedicare.com/jc/pubs/insider/index.html. Also visit the “News” page on the website for special notices concerning changes in regulations issued between publication releases. To receive automatic notification via email of the posting of policies, publications, and other important Medicare announcements, subscribe to the CGS email ListServ at http://www.cgsmedicare.com/medicare_dynamic/ls/001.asp. Supplier Manual Summary of Changes Revised chapters Pages containing changes Chapter 1 3, 5–7 Chapter 3 1, 3–5, 11, 21, 22, 33, 38 Chapter 4 3, 4 Chapter 5 24 Chapter 6 21 Chapter 7 2 Chapter 9 8, 11, 12, 18, 20 Chapter 13 5, 8, 16 1, 3, 34, 36, 38, 51, 56, 66, 69, 71, 72, 104, 106, 108, 142, 143, Appendix A 160, 201, 204, 211 © 2020, CGS Administrators, LLC CGS Administrators, LLC is a Medicare Part A, B, Home Health and Hospice, and DME Medicare Administrative Contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Table of Contents DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual Table of Contents 1. Introduction Welcome . CGS’s Role as a DME MAC . What is Medicare? . What is DME? . Deductible and Coinsurance . Eligibility . Medicare ID— Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) and Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) . The Medicare Card . Termination of Enrollment . Medicare Advantage Plans . Other Government Insurance Plans . Privacy Act of 1974 and HIPPA Privacy Rules . Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2. Supplier Enrollment Overview . National Provider Identifier (NPI) . National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) . Supplier Standards . Reenrollment . Change of Information . Participating/Nonparticipating . Site Visits . Do Not Forward . Directory of Medicare Suppliers . Change of Ownership . NSC Resources . Supplier Audit and Compliance Unit (SACU) . DMEPOS Accreditation . Surety Bonds 3. Supplier Documentation . General Information . Definition of Physician . Prescription (Orders) Requirements Winter 2020 DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual Page 1 Table of Contents . Documentation in the Beneficiary’s Medical Record . Signature Requirements . Refills of DMEPOS Items Provided on a Recurring Basis . Beneficiary Authorization . Proof of Delivery (POD) . Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) . Amendments, Corrections, and Delayed Entries in Medical Documentation . Repair/Maintenance/Replacement . Delivery and Service Charges . Same/Similar Equipment and Advance Beneficiary Notices (ABN) . Pick-up Slips . Backup Equipment . Correct Coding . Miscellaneous HCPCS Codes . Evidence of Medical Necessity: Power Mobility Devices (PMD) . Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) 4. Certificates of Medical Necessity (CMNs) . Certificates of Medical Necessity (CMNs) and DME MAC Information Forms (DIFs) . CMN and DIF Completion Instructions . CMNs as Orders and Claim Submission . Oxygen CMNs . CMN Common Scenarios 5. DMEPOS Fee Schedule Categories Introduction . Inexpensive or Other Routinely Purchased DME (IRP) . Items Requiring Frequent and Substantial Servicing . Certain Customized Items . Other Prosthetic and Orthotic Devices . Capped Rental Items . Oxygen . Medicare Advantage Plan Beneficiaries Transferring to Fee-For-Service Medicare . Supplies and Accessories Used with Beneficiary-Owned Equipment . Repairs, Maintenance, and Replacement . DMEPOS Competitive Bidding 6. Claim Submission Introduction . Mandatory Claim Filing . Assignment Agreement Winter 2020 DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual Page 2 Table of Contents . Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) . CMS-1500 Claim Form . Guidelines for Filing Paper Claims . Claim Completion Instructions . Claim Filing Jurisdiction . Time Limit for Filing Claims . Clean Claims – Payment Floor and Ceiling . Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) . Place of Service . Consolidated Billing . DMEPOS and an Inpatient Stay . DMEPOS and Hospice . Upgrades . PWK (Paperwork) Segment . Electronic Submission of Medical Documentation (esMD) 7. Crossover Claims Introduction . Coordination of Benefits Agreement . Medigap 8. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Introduction . Benefits of EDI . ASCA . Transmitting Claims to Other DME MACs . Additional Electronic Options . Additional Information 9. Coverage and Medical Policy Introduction . DMEPOS Benefit Categories . Medical Review Program . Medical Policies . Advance Determination of Medicare Coverage (ADMC) for Wheelchairs . Condition of Payment Required Prior Authorization Program . Denial Categories 10. Pricing Introduction . Fee Schedules Winter 2020 DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual Page 3 Table of Contents . Reasonable Charges . Drug Pricing . Single Payment Amount . Individual Consideration 11. Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Introduction . Employer Sponsored Group Health Plan Coverage . Accident/Injury Insurance . Other Government-Sponsored Health Plans . Electronic Billing of MSP Claims . Medicare Secondary Claim Filing Tips . MSP on Capped Rental Items . MSP Payment Calculation . MSP Overpayment Refunds . Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center (BCRC) 12. Overpayments . Overpayments and Refunds . Overpayment Offsets . Referral of Delinquent Debt . Extended Repayment Schedule . Overpayment Appeals 13. Inquiries, Reopenings, and Appeals . Telephone Inquiries . Written Inquiries . myCGS—The Jurisdiction C Web Portal . Provider Outreach and Education (POE) Department . Reopenings for Minor Errors and Omissions . Appeals . Redeterminations . Reconsiderations . Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) . Departmental Appeals Board Review . Federal Court Review 14. Fraud and Abuse Introduction . Unified Program integrity Contractors (UPICs) Winter 2020 DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual Page 4 Table of Contents . Defining Fraud and Abuse . Procedures for Handling Fraud and Abuse Situations . Protect Yourself from Fraud . UPIC Contact Information 15. Resources Introduction . Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) . Jurisdiction C Resources . Additional Resources . Web Resources 16. Coding . The Pricing, Data Analysis and Coding (PDAC) Contractor . Level II HCPCS Codes . Coding Jurisdiction . Modifiers 17. System Outputs . Claim0B Development Procedures . Medicare1B Summary Notice (MSN) . Medicare2B Remittance Notice (MRN) . Biller3B Purged Claim Report . ANSI4B Codes 18. Acronyms and Abbreviations Appendix A – Level II HCPCS Codes Winter 2020 DME MAC Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual Page 5 Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Contents Welcome 1. CGS’s Role as a DME MAC 2. What is Medicare? 3. What is DME? 4. Deductible and Coinsurance 5. Eligibility 6. Medicare ID— Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) and Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) 7. The Medicare Card 8. Termination of Enrollment 9. Medicare Advantage Plans 10. Other Government Insurance Plans 11. Privacy Act of 1974 and HIPAA Privacy Rules 12. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Welcome Welcome to the Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractor (DME MAC) Jurisdiction C Supplier Manual. This manual is provided for suppliers of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) who serve beneficiaries in Jurisdiction C. This manual contains an overview of important and useful information for DMEPOS suppliers regarding the Medicare program. It is the first resource that you should use for Medicare billing questions. The Supplier Manual is updated on a quarterly basis and is available on our website at https://www.cgsmedicare.com. In every quarterly Supplier Manual revision, all text that has been added or revised from the previous quarter’s version of the manual is shown in red text. All unchanged text is shown in black text. Please note that additions/revisions do not necessarily denote a change in policy. Some additions/revisions are added solely to provide greater clarity and understanding. To stay up-to-date on the most recent Medicare news, you should be sure to subscribe to our ListServ, the CGS electronic mailing list. ListServ gives you immediate access to the latest Medicare information, including: Medicare publications, important updates, educational workshops, and medical review information. To join the ListServ, visit our website at https://www.cgsmedicare.com. Internet-only Manual (IOM) References Most of the information in this manual is derived from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Internet-only
Load more

Recommended publications
  • £;Q¬@ an Activity Is Conducted Title III! Or Information Placed Stop
    x _ -92-__ T --~----- ---- -~_-+--- ------'-1--~- ---.- --------~ Ms H .+ ._-.__ ~ ____ W . _ __ _ _. ._ . __. ___. ___ _ . -A 1 . _ l Sé __ni *._ . 1 _ g _ e'}.f,- =__' ,-,_"';. --51% -es? ' Sensitive £4--E.1 -4,34,. 0 . r - . ,1 . *$ .,£n I Manual of Investigative Operationsand Guidelines _ ~t»'.-iv Part II __ '_" 5 _ ";. .T _ ' "3 ~ ' PAGE 10 ; .- . V . I Y . - . ' . _ ' Wx . __;._ SECTION 10.. RECORDS AVAILABLE AND INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES 192 at .1 . 10-1 INTRODUCTION ! The following information is being provided as a reference for investigative personnel seeking additional data and/or the location of individuals who are the subjects of FBI investigations. This information is presented in two parts, Records Available and Investigative Techniques. _ _ r- a! %Records Available are those documents which may assist in either compiling a necessary profile either of a group, an individual or a business enterprise!, or will assist in locating subjects, suspects, witnesses or victims. : dd ' b! An Investigative Technique isa method by.which £;Q¬@activity anconducted is III! or informationTitle stop placed . -32- . ..T§ notice! which may aidlin the identification or location of a subject "' orin the gathering of evidence. g £ ! The use of any of these records or investigative techniques must be in accord with legal and ethical investigative procedures. In many cases, the obtaining of records or use of an -M. -cg ,..'*~- . -|--- investigative technique must be authorized by the SAC, Department of JWE.
    [Show full text]
  • Postal Service
    39 Revised as of July 1, 2003 Postal Service Containing a codification of documents of general applicability and future effect As of July 1, 2003 With Ancillaries Published by Office of the Federal Register National Archives and Records Administration A Special Edition of the Federal Register VerDate Jan<31>2003 08:44 Jul 16, 2003 Jkt 200138 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 8091 Sfmt 8091 Y:\SGML\200138F.XXX 200138F U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 2003 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Jan<31>2003 08:44 Jul 16, 2003 Jkt 200138 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 8092 Sfmt 8092 Y:\SGML\200138F.XXX 200138F Table of Contents Page Explanation ................................................................................................ v Title 39: Chapter I—United States Postal Service ........................................ 3 Chapter III—Postal Rate Commission ............................................. 343 Finding Aids: Material Approved for Incorporation by Reference ............................ 481 Table of CFR Titles and Chapters ....................................................... 483 Alphabetical List of Agencies Appearing in the CFR ......................... 501 List of CFR Sections Affected ............................................................. 511 iii VerDate jul<14>2003 08:35 Aug 06, 2003 Jkt 200138 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 8092 Sfmt 8092 Y:\SGML\200138F.XXX 200138F Cite this Code: CFR To cite the regulations in this volume use title, part and section num- ber. Thus, 39 CFR 1.1 refers to title 39, part 1, section 1. iv VerDate Jan<31>2003 08:44 Jul 16, 2003 Jkt 200138 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 8092 Sfmt 8092 Y:\SGML\200138F.XXX 200138F Explanation The Code of Federal Regulations is a codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agen- cies of the Federal Government.
    [Show full text]
  • Mail Covers and the Fourth Amendment: United States V. Choate
    Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review Volume 12 Number 1 Article 8 12-1-1978 Mail Covers and the Fourth Amendment: United States v. Choate Doris Schaffer Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/llr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Doris Schaffer, Mail Covers and the Fourth Amendment: United States v. Choate, 12 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 201 (1978). Available at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/llr/vol12/iss1/8 This Recent Decision is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MAIL COVERS AND THE FOURTH AMENDMENT: UNITED STA TES v. CHOA4 TE In UnitedStates v. Choate,I the Ninth Circuit held that a mail cover 2 is not an unreasonable search and seizure in violation of the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution.3 The majority of the court recognized that the reasonableness of the mail cover procedure is to be measured by the criteria set forth in Katz v. United States,4 but did not find that an addressee seeks privacy with respect to the outside cover of his mail or that such an expectation would be reasonable. I. INTRODUCTION A mail cover is a surveillance of an addressee's mail conducted by postal employees at the request of law enforcement officials.5 While not expressly permitted by federal statute, a mail cover is authorized by postal regulations in the interest of national security and crime preven- tion,6 and permits the recording of all information appearing on the outside cover of all classes of mail.7 Under the regulations, the Chief 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Mail Cover Surveillance: Problems and Recommendations
    MAIL COVER SURVEILLANCE: PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A Report by NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Advocacy Committee Reporter: Steven R. Morrison April 19, 2015 Mail Cover Surveillance: Problems and Recommendations Steven R. Morrison Reporter, NACDL Vice-Chair, Fourth Amendment Advocacy Committee April 19, 2015 Introduction Mail cover surveillance (“mail covers”), which is the investigative practice of recording the information listed on the outside of mail going to or from a designated address, has existed since the nineteenth century.1 While often a legitimate tool of criminal investigations, mail covers have been abused. They were used in the 1950s against suspected communists and expanded to include surveillance of the contents of letters.2 Indeed, CIA and FBI agents used mail covers to intercept hundreds of thousands of letters in the 1950s and 1960s, sometimes smuggling them out of post offices to open and read them to avoid postal worker intervention.3 It was only after a fifteen year-old girl was targeted in the 1970s for sending a letter to the Socialist Workers Party as a class assignment that the abuses came to light.4 As a result of these abuses, mail cover regulations were promulgated in 1975, and now appear at 39 C.F.R. § 233.3.5 Based on concerns about the vagueness and overbreadth of 1 David S. Kris & J. Douglas Wilson, In General, NATIONAL SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS § 21:1. 2 Id. 3 Id. 4 Paton v. La Prade, 469 F.Supp. 773 (D.N.J. 1978); Mail Snooping Needs More Accountability, DES MOINES REGISTER, Oct. 30, 2014. 5 Kris & Wilson, supra note 1.
    [Show full text]
  • United States Postal Service § 233.2
    United States Postal Service § 233.2 233.5 Requesting financial records from a fi- (c) Issuance of subpoenas. (1) In ac- nancial institution. cordance with part 273 of this chapter, 233.6 Test purchases under 39 U.S.C. 3005(e). the Chief Postal Inspector may issue 233.7 Forfeiture authority and procedures. subpoenas under the Program Fraud 233.8 Expedited forfeiture proceedings for Civil Remedies Act. property seized for administrative for- feiture involving controlled substances (2) In accordance with the Inspector in personal use quantities. General Act of 1978, the Chief Postal 233.9 Expedited release of conveyances Inspector may issue subpoenas to per- being forfeited in a judicial forfeiture sons or entities other than Federal proceeding for a drug-related offense. agencies for the production of informa- 233.10 Notice provisions. tion, documents, reports, answers, 233.11 Mail reasonably suspected of being records, accounts, papers, and other dangerous to persons or property. data and documentary evidence nec- 233.12 Civil penalties. essary in the performance of functions AUTHORITY: 39 U.S.C. 101, 102, 202, 204, 401, assigned by the Inspector General Act. 402, 403, 404, 406, 410, 411, 1003, 3005(e)(1); 12 (3) The Chief Postal Inspector hereby U.S.C. 3401–3422; 18 U.S.C. 981, 1956, 1957, 2254, delegates authority to sign and issue 3061; 21 U.S.C. 881; Omnibus Budget Rec- onciliation Act of 1996, sec. 662 (Pub. L. No. administrative subpoenas to the fol- 104–208). lowing officials: Deputy Chief Inspec- tors; Managers, Inspection Service Op- § 233.1 Arrest and investigative powers erations Support Group; and Inspector of Postal Inspectors.
    [Show full text]
  • Can the President Read Your Mail? a Legal Analysis
    Catholic University Law Review Volume 59 Issue 2 Winter 2010 Article 2 2010 Can the President Read Your Mail? A Legal Analysis Anuj C. Desai Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview Recommended Citation Anuj C. Desai, Can the President Read Your Mail? A Legal Analysis, 59 Cath. U. L. Rev. 315 (2010). Available at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview/vol59/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by CUA Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Catholic University Law Review by an authorized editor of CUA Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARTICLES CAN THE PRESIDENT READ YOUR MAIL? A LEGAL ANALYSIS Anuj C. Desai+ I. B A CKG RO UN D ............................................................................................. 3 19 II. THE SEALED-LETTER PROVISION .............................................................. 320 A. IntroductoryAnalysis of Statutory Language .................................... 321 B. The Sealed-Letter Provision'sProvenance and Legislative H istory .............................................................................................. 3 2 3 1. Prohibitionon Mailing Obscene Matter (1865) .......................... 324 2. Prohibitionon Mailing Lottery-RelatedMatter (1868 & 18 72) .........................................................................................32 6 3. Prohibitionon Mailing Matter Designedto Further Counterfeit-Money Schemes (1889) ........................................
    [Show full text]
  • Mail Covers. Tained by the Postal Service for the Transmission of Letters Sealed Against (A) Policy
    United States Postal Service § 233.3 reward under this section for informa- Sealed mail includes: First-Class Mail; tion obtained while so employed. The Priority Mail; Express Mail; Express Chief Inspector may establish such pro- Mail International; Global Express cedures and forms as may be desirable Guaranteed items containing only doc- to give effect to this section including uments; Priority Mail International procedures to protect the identity of flat-rate envelopes and small flat-rate persons claiming rewards under this boxes; International Priority Airmail, section. except M-bags; International Surface [36 FR 4673, Mar. 12, 1971, as amended at 42 Air Lift, except M-bags; First-Class FR 43836, Aug. 31, 1977. Redesignated at 46 FR Mail International; Global Bulk Econ- 34330, July 1, 1981, and amended at 47 FR omy, except M-bags; certain Global Di- 26832, June 22, 1982; 47 FR 46498, Oct. 19, 1982; rect mail as specified by customer con- 49 FR 15191, Apr. 18, 1984; 54 FR 37795, Sept. tract; and International Transit Mail. 13, 1989; 55 FR 32251, Aug. 8, 1990; 59 FR 5326, (4) Unsealed mail is mail which under Feb. 4, 1994; 60 FR 54305, Oct. 23, 1995; 63 FR postal laws or regulations is not in- 52160, Sept. 30, 1998; 69 FR 16166, Mar. 29, 2004] cluded within a class of mail main- § 233.3 Mail covers. tained by the Postal Service for the transmission of letters sealed against (a) Policy. The U.S. Postal Service inspection. Unsealed mail includes: maintains rigid control and supervision Periodicals; Standard Mail; Package with respect to the use of mail covers Services; incidental First-Class Mail as an investigative technique for law attachments and enclosures; Global enforcement or the protection of na- Express Guaranteed items containing tional security.
    [Show full text]
  • March 2017 PIPEX 2017
    The www.nwfedstamps.org Federated Philatelist Journal of the Northwest Federation of Stamp Clubs No. 218, March 2017 PIPEX 2017 — by Lucien S. Klein, Portland Philatelic Exhibitions Red Lion Hotel on the River The Pacific International Philatelic Exhibition (PIPEX) is Most societies meeting at the show present one or more an American Philatelic Society (APS) World Series of Phi- programs worth seeing. Societies expected to be represent- lately (WSP) event sponsored by Portland Philatelic Exhi- ed at the show, in addition to those societies convening bitions on behalf of Oregon Stamp Society and the North- and meeting at the show, include: American Philatelic So- west Federation of Stamp Clubs. ciety; American Topical Association; Northwest Philatelic Library; Northwest Chapter of the American Airmail Soci- PIPEX 2017 will be 12–14 May at the Red Lion Hotel on ety; Oregon Stamp Society; and Salem Stamp Society. the River, at Jantzen Beach, 909 North Hayden Island Drive, Portland, Oregon (see above). Parking is free . The Harmer-Schau Auctions Northwest will hold an auction at hotel location, just off I-5 at exit 308 and on the bank of the show on Sunday, 14 May. Auction lots may be viewed the Columbia River, makes it easy for you to come and go each day of the show and online before the show at: to the show and to attractions in the Portland and Vancou- [email protected]. ver, Washington area while having a pleasant stay. — continued on page 3 The PIPEX show hotel room rate is $103 per night. Call 503-283-4466 for reservations.
    [Show full text]
  • The Envelope, Please: Problems and Proposals for Electronic Mail Surveillance, 14 Hastings Const
    Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly Volume 14 Article 6 Number 2 Winter 1987 1-1-1987 The nE velope, Please: Problems and Proposals for Electronic Mail Surveillance C. Leigh Haynes Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/ hastings_constitutional_law_quaterly Part of the Constitutional Law Commons Recommended Citation C. Leigh Haynes, The Envelope, Please: Problems and Proposals for Electronic Mail Surveillance, 14 Hastings Const. L.Q. 421 (1987). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_constitutional_law_quaterly/vol14/iss2/6 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Envelope, Please: Problems and Proposals for Electronic Mail Surveillance The King hath note of all that they intend, By interception which they dream not of.1 Introduction Consider the envelope, and what it represents in twentieth century America. Perhaps of primary importance is the envelope's two-faceted role in the posting of mail. It provides a convenient display of necessary information for the letter's delivery, and cloaks the letter's contents from all but the recipient. Utility aside, an envelope may symbolize the cere- mony of unveiling a secret, as when a ritualistic request for "The envel- ope, please" creates the usual suspense. An envelope may evoke sentiment, whether romantically sealed with a kiss or ominously ad- dressed with pasted letters and numbers cut from newsprint. It is diffi- cult to imagine a system of correspondence without the folded piece of paper that comprises the physical envelope.
    [Show full text]
  • Statement of Guy J. Cottrell Chief Postal Inspector, U.S. Postal Service Before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S
    STATEMENT OF GUY J. COTTRELL CHIEF POSTAL INSPECTOR, U.S. POSTAL SERVICE BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEDERAL WORKFORCE, U.S. POSTAL SERVICE AND THE CENSUS UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 19, 2014 Chairman Farenthold, Ranking Member Lynch, and members of this subcommittee, I am Guy J. Cottrell, Chief Postal Inspector of the U.S. Postal Service. On behalf of the men and women of our agency, I appreciate the opportunity to present the testimony of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in support of this hearing on Data Security at the U.S. Postal Service. As one of our country's oldest federal law enforcement agencies, founded by Benjamin Franklin, we have a long, proud, and successful history of fighting crime against those who attack our nation’s postal system and misuse it to defraud, endanger, or otherwise threaten the American public. For over 250 years, Postal Inspectors have investigated criminal offenses involving the mail and the postal system. From embezzlements in colonial Post Offices to mail train robberies in the 1800s, from major fraud cases in the 1900s to the mailing of deadly anthrax in 2001, Postal Inspectors have worked diligently to ensure America’s confidence in the U.S. Mail. Postal Inspectors tenaciously investigate criminal offenses involving the mail or the postal system. As federal law enforcement officers we carry firearms, make arrests, and serve federal search warrants and subpoenas. To carry out our mission, Inspectors work closely with the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Offices, other federal and local law enforcement agencies, and local prosecutors to investigate cases and prepare them for court.
    [Show full text]
  • Mail Cover Surveillance: Problems and Recommendations
    MAIL COVER SURVEILLANCE: PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A Report by NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Advocacy Committee Reporter: Steven R. Morrison April 19, 2015 Mail Cover Surveillance: Problems and Recommendations Steven R. Morrison Reporter, NACDL Vice-Chair, Fourth Amendment Advocacy Committee April 19, 2015 Introduction Mail cover surveillance (“mail covers”), which is the investigative practice of recording the information listed on the outside of mail going to or from a designated address, has existed since the nineteenth century.1 While often a legitimate tool of criminal investigations, mail covers have been abused. They were used in the 1950s against suspected communists and expanded to include surveillance of the contents of letters.2 Indeed, CIA and FBI agents used mail covers to intercept hundreds of thousands of letters in the 1950s and 1960s, sometimes smuggling them out of post offices to open and read them to avoid postal worker intervention.3 It was only after a fifteen year-old girl was targeted in the 1970s for sending a letter to the Socialist Workers Party as a class assignment that the abuses came to light.4 As a result of these abuses, mail cover regulations were promulgated in 1975, and now appear at 39 C.F.R. § 233.3.5 Based on concerns about the vagueness and overbreadth of 1 David S. Kris & J. Douglas Wilson, In General, NATIONAL SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS § 21:1. 2 Id. 3 Id. 4 Paton v. La Prade, 469 F.Supp. 773 (D.N.J. 1978); Mail Snooping Needs More Accountability, DES MOINES REGISTER, Oct. 30, 2014. 5 Kris & Wilson, supra note 1.
    [Show full text]
  • US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Case Log, CY 2013 – CY 2015
    Description of document: US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Case Log, CY 2013 – CY 2015 Requested date: 17-January-2016 Released date: 22-April-2016 Posted date: 16-May-2016 Source of document: Freedom of Information Act Request Manager FOIA Unit US Postal Inspection Service 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, RM 3301 Washington, DC 20260-2101 Fax: (202) 268-4538 United States Postal Service FOIA Online The governmentattic.org web site (“the site”) is noncommercial and free to the public. The site and materials made available on the site, such as this file, are for reference only. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible, however, there may be mistakes and omissions, both typographical and in content. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided on the governmentattic.org web site or in this file. The public records published on the site were obtained from government agencies using proper legal channels. Each document is identified as to the source. Any concerns about the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document in question. GovernmentAttic.org is not responsible for the contents of documents published on the website. ~. UNITED STATES POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE \al OFFICE OF COUNSEL April 22, 2016 RE: FOIA No. 2016-FPIS-00097 This is in further reference to your letter dated January 17, 2016, requesting, pursuant to the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts, access to certain records that may be in the custody of the U.S.
    [Show full text]