Front Cover Also on the Web: For customers at www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm 2 POSTAL BULLETIN 22237 (7-17-08) For employees at http://blue.usps.gov CONTENTS PULL-OUT INFORMATION POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS UPDATES Fraud Domestic Order . 29 Manuals Withholding of Mail Orders . 29 IMM Revision: Undeliverable Items . 3 Invalid Express Mail Corporate Account Numbers . 31 POM Revision: Collection Schedules . 4 Missing, Lost, or Stolen U.S. Money Order Forms . 33 POM Revision: First Day of Sale Postmarks . 4 Missing, Lost, or Stolen Canadian Money Order Forms . 38 Handbooks Verifying U.S. Postal Service Money Orders . 41 Handbook AS-353 Revision: Guide to Privacy, the Counterfeit Canadian Money Order Forms . 41 Freedom of Information Act, and Records Management . 11 Toll-Free Number Available to Verify Canadian Money Handbook F-15, Travel and Relocation Revision . 13 Orders . 41 Handbook F-101 Revision: New Account Identifier Other Information Codes for Caller Service Fees. 14 Overseas Military Mail . 42 Handbook F-101 Revision: Handling Unresolved Thrift Savings Plan Fact Sheet. 47 Employee Items. 14 Missing Children Posters. 49 Publications Publication 431 Revision: Changes to Post Office Box Service and Caller Service Fee Groups . 18 POSTAL BULLETIN 2008 SEMI-ANNUAL INFORMATION DESK INDEX . 69 Address Management Post Office Changes . 19 Sunflower stamp Delivery Carrier Pickup for Returns . 21 Delivery and Retail Service Talk: “Returns” Added To Carrier Pickup Service. 21 Marketing Mail Alert . 22 Business Connect “4 Seasons of Success” Contest Kit: Quarter 4, Summer FY 2008 . 22 “The 4 Seasons of Success” Business Connect Contest — Quarter 4. 23 Philately USPS National Emergency Hotline Stamp Announcement 08-36: Forever . 24 Is your facility operating? Updated Announcement 08-F: 2008 Stamps and Call 888-363-7462 Postal Stationery . 26 New First Day of Sale Postmarking Service . 53 Correction: Stamp Stock Items Withdrawn From Regular Sales and From Philatelic Centers. 56 Pictorial Postmarks Announcement . 57 How to Order the First Day of Issue Digital Color or Traditional Postmarks . 64 Safety Recognizing and Preventing Insect Bites/Stings. 66 Supply Management Fight Crime and Save Money! . 67 New Rubber Bands From Alliance Rubber Products . 67 U.S. Stamp & Sign for Business Cards and Rubber Stamps . 68 Ordering Information: Following is the list of postal stock numbers (PSNs) to use when ordering copies of the Postal Bulletin from the MDC: PB 22237: 7690-10-000-6453 PB 22230: 7690-10-000-6446 PB 22222: 7690-09-000-9373 PB 22214: 7690-09-000-9365 PB 22236: 7690-10-000-6452 PB 22229: 7690-10-000-6445 PB 22221: 7690-09-000-9372 PB 22213: 7690-09-000-9364 PB 22235: 7690-10-000-6451 PB 22228: 7690-10-000-6444 PB 22220: 7690-09-000-9371 PB 22212: 7690-09-000-9363 PB 22234: 7690-10-000-6450 PB 22227: 7690-10-000-6443 PB 22219: 7690-09000-9370 PB 22211: 7690-09-000-9362 PB 22233: 7690-10-000-6449 PB 22226: 7690-10-000-6442 PB 22218: 7690-09-000-9369 PB 22210: 7690-09-000-9361 PB 22232: 7690-10-000-6448 PB 22225: 7690-10-000-6441 PB 22217: 7690-09-000-9368 PB 22209: 7690-09-000-9360 PB 22231: 7690-10-000-6447 PB 22224: 7690-09-000-9375 PB 22216: 7690-09-000-9367 PB 22208: 7690-09-000-9359 PB 22230A: 7690-10-000-8803 PB 22223: 7690-09-000-9374 PB 22215: 7690-09-000-9366 PB 22207: 7690-09-000-9358 POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS UPDATES POSTAL BULLETIN 22237 (7-17-08) 3 Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates Manuals IMM Revision: Undeliverable Items We are revising Mailing Standards of the United States [Add new 781.1 (using text from the previous 781) as Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) part 781 follows:] to implement new standards for returned undeliverable-as- 781.1 Postage Payment Required addressed items that were posted abroad with a United States return address. This revision is consistent with the Payment of U.S. postage is required to secure delivery of Federal Register final rule published January 14, 2008 mail when the mailing is by or on behalf of a person or firm (Volume 73, Number 9). that is a resident of the United States and the foreign post- age price applied to such items is lower than the compara- When items are posted abroad with a United States ble U.S. domestic rate. return address, the Postal Service™ provides the return service but previously received no payment for the services [Add new 781.2 as follows:] rendered. This final rule implements collection of a fee for 781.2 Handling Charges these returned items. Undeliverable-as-address mail returned to the sender for which outbound postage was not paid to the U.S. Postal Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service is subject to the payment of handling charges. On Service, International Mail Manual (IMM) delivery to the sender, the sender may be charged the First- ***** Class Mail International rate for the weight and shape of the returned piece. 7 Treatment of Inbound Mail ***** ***** We are incorporating this information into the online ver- 780 Items Mailed Abroad by or on Behalf of sion of the IMM, which can be accessed via Postal Senders in the United States Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com. Also, the printed edition [Revise the heading of 781 as follows:] of IMM 35 (dated May 12, 2008) will indicate this information. 781 Payment Required — Global Business Management, Global Business Development, 7-17-08 4 POSTAL BULLETIN 22237 (7-17-08) POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS UPDATES POM Revision: Collection Schedules Effective July 17, 2008, the Postal Operations Manual and dispatch capabilities. Express Mail shipments depos- (POM), Section 325.4, Collection Schedules, is revised to ited into Express Mail collection boxes before the posted provide clarification that an Express Mail® shipment collection time receive a Next or Second Day Express Mail dropped in an Express Mail collection box is a guaranteed service guarantee. There is no product differentiation product. The shipment receives the same service commit- between shipments placed in an Express Mail collection ment as an Express Mail shipment mailed at retail accep- box and those accepted at a retail counter. tance sites based on cutoff times and destination ZIP™ ***** Codes. We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed Postal Operations Manual (POM) version of the POM and also into the online update, avail- able on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet Web site: ***** Go to http://blue.usps.gov. 3 Collection Service — National Service Under “Essential Links,” in the left-hand column, Standards click References. ***** Click Manuals. (The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site is 32 Types of Collection Boxes http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.) ***** It is also available on the Postal Service Internet: 325 Express Mail Collection Boxes Go to www.usps.com. Click About USPS & News, then Forms & Publica- ***** tions, then Postal Periodicals and Publications, and 325.4 Collection Schedules then Manuals. [Revise 325.4 to read as follows:] Collection schedules must be set in order to provide the lat- — Expedited Operations, est possible collection consistent with local acceptance Expedited Shipping, 7-17-08 POM Revision: First Day of Sale Postmarks Effective July 17, 2008, the Postal Operations Manual that accepted custody of the mailpiece(s), except as pro- (POM) is revised to remove policy about obliterators. In vided in sections 231.61 and 231.7.*** addition, new policy has been added about first day of sale 231.2 Policy postmarks, thematic postmarks, and philatelic center postmarks. 231.21 Publicity [Revise 231.21 to read as follows:] Postal Operations Manual (POM) The Postal Service makes philatelic postmarking services ***** widely known to customers and collectors by publicizing them in the Postal Bulletin. 2 Philately 231.22 Backdating and Predating ***** It is Postal Service policy to prohibit backdating of mail 23 Philatelic Postmarks except: 231 General ***** 231.1 Definition [Revise item d as follows:] [Revise 231.1 to read as follows:] d. As noted in references to first day of issue, first day of sale, and pictorial postmarks provided in parts A philatelic postmark is an official postal postmark that 232, 233, and 234. contains the Post Office name, city, state, ZIP Code, and date (month, day, and year) of the canceling Post Office [Revise the title and text of 231.23 to read as follows:] POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS UPDATES POSTAL BULLETIN 22237 (7-17-08) 5 231.23 Staffing Availability and Training Postal Service employee for postmarking, the A sufficient number of Postal Service employees should be Postal Service employee must examine the item available to provide speedy service. To provide hand- to ensure that it is clearly intended for philatelic stamped postmarks of philatelic quality, Postal Service purposes. Bill payments, tax returns, applications, employees should be trained in advance. Refer to section and/or other date-sensitive mail cannot be 231.3 for philatelic postmarking procedures. handed back. Only after careful examination should a philatelic item be postmarked and 231.3 Cooperation With Collectors handed back to the customer/collector. 231.31 Postmarks (2) The envelope, card, or other item does not enter [Revise the last sentence of 231.31 to read as follows:] the mailstream. All such materials requesting postmarking must bear uncanceled postage at ***However, stamps must be postmarked sufficiently to the applicable First-Class Mail® rate. If the cus- protect Postal Service revenue. tomer wants to mail the postmarked item, it must 231.32 Special Attention be trayed or bagged separately, and flagged [Add new last sentence to 231.32 to read as follows:] “nonmachinable” to avoid being over-postmarked in processing.