Customer Relations

Domestic Mail

DMM CORRECTION

Postage Meters (Postage Evidencing Systems)

Postal Bulletin 22062 (11-1-01, pages 9-23) included new regulations on using indicia generated by any postage evidencing system to prepay reply postage. The address side of the envelope shown as an example on page 23 of that Postal Bulletin contained an error in the text that is printed above the address. The text to be printed above the address should contain the word "prepaid" (not "paid") as follows:

NO POSTAGE STAMP NECESSARY POSTAGE HAS BEEN PREPAID BY

The example below shows the envelope with the corrected text.

- Postage Technology Management,Retail, Consumers and Small Business, 11-15-01

DMM REVISION

Refunds of Deposits for Periodicals Publications

Effective December 13, 2001, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) E213.3.6e is revised. The revision concerns refunds of excess deposits after an application for Periodicals mailing privileges is approved. Refunds may be given to mailers who submitted mailings while the authorization to mail at the Periodicals publication rates was pending.

Currently, E213.3.6e provides that no refund is made for postage paid at Express Mail or First-Class Mail rates. If a mailing of less than 200 pieces or 50 pounds is submitted by a mailer whose authorization to mail at the Periodicals postage rates is pending, the mailer is required to deposit postage at the single-piece First-Class Mail rates even if the mailing is prepared as a Periodicals mailing. When a publisher elects to prepare a pending publication as First- Class Mail and receives First-Class Mail service, no refund is authorized as currently prescribed by E213.3.6e.

However, if a publication is prepared and presorted as Periodicals mail and it receives Periodicals service, a refund of the difference between single-piece First-Class Mail rates and the applicable Periodicals postage is allowed if all of the following conditions are met:

• The mailing was deposited on or after the effective date of the authorization.

• The mailing was of less than 200 pieces or 50 pounds.

• The publisher deposited single-piece First-Class Mail postage by advance deposit account.

• A record of deposits and mailings made while the application to mail at Periodicals rates was pending is maintained.

We will incorporate this revision into the printed version of DMM Issue 58 and into the December 13, 2001, update of the online DMM, available via Postal Explorer at http://pe.usps.gov.

Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)

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E Eligibility

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E200 Periodicals

E210 Basic Standards

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E213 Periodicals Mailing Privileges

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3.0 DECISION ON APPLICATION

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3.6 No Refund

No refund is made for:

* * * * *

[Revise item e to read as follows:]

e. Postage paid at Express Mail or First-Class Mail rates. Exception: When postage is deposited at single-piece First-Class Mail rates because a mailing presorted and prepared as Periodicals mail is less than 200 pieces or 50 pounds, a refund may be authorized.

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- Mail Preparation and Standards,Pricing and Classification, 11-15-01

U.S. ARMED FORCES

"Any Service Member" Mail Program - Suspended

Effective immediately, the Any Service Member Mail program is suspended indefinitely by the Department of Defense due to the concerns and risk of mail being introduced into the mail system from unknown sources. The safety of the men and women of the Armed Forces and the employees of the U.S. Postal Service are paramount. Mail addressed to "Any Service Member" will no longer be accepted.

Addressing of mail to the men and women of the Armed Forces in foreign locations must comply with Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) A010.6.1, Overseas Address. The following text is an excerpt from that section of the DMM:

The delivery line (i.e., the second line from the bottom in the address) must show either the ship name, unit number, CMR or PSC number, and box number if assigned. The last line must contain the APO and FPO designation and theappropriate two- letter "state" abbreviation (AA, AE, or AP), followed by the ZIP+4 or 5-digit ZIP Code. In addition:

a. Mail addressed to Army personnel must show grade; full name, including first name and middle name or initial; and unit number.

b. Mail addressed to Air Force personnel must show grade; full name, including first name and middle name or initial; and PSC or unit number.

c. Mail addressed to Navy and Marine Corps personnel must show rank or rating; full name, including first name and middle name or initial; and PSC number for shore-based units, or ship name.

d. Mail sent to dependents residing in overseas areas must be addressed in care of the sponsor.

- International Network Operations,Network Operations Management, 11-15-01

U.S. ARMED FORCES

Free Mail Program

Effective October 24, 2001, under the provisions of Section 3401 (a)(1) of Title 39, U.S.C., and pursuant to Executive Order 12556, dated April 16, 1986, the Secretary of Defense has authorized free mail privileges for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and designated civilians directly supporting "Operation Enduring Freedom" military operations in the following locations:

• The Persian Gulf

• The Red Sea

• The Gulf of Oman

• The North Arabian Sea (that portion of the Arabian sea that lies north of 10 degrees north latitude and west of 68 degrees east longitude)

• The Gulf of Aden

• The total land areas of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Diego Garcia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan

Free mail privileges will remain in effect for the following locations:

• Aboard ships in the Adriatic Sea

• Aboard ships in the Ionian sea north of the 39th parallel

• Albania

• Former Republic of Yugoslavia

• Bosnia-Herzegovina

• Croatia (including Zagreb)

• Macedonia

• Serbia-Montenegro (including Kosovo and Vojvodina)

• Slovenia

• Hungary

• Zakho (which is south of the Turkish border in the no-fly zone of northern Iraq)

In accordance with 39 U.S.C. 3401 (a)(1)(B), free mail privileges will also be extended to members hospitalized in a facility under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces as a result of disease or injury incurred as a result of service in those designated areas.

Personnel authorized this privilege may mail, without postage, letters, postcards, and sound recordings (audio and videotapes) having the character of personal correspondence to any place in the United States, its possessions or territories, or any military post office (APO/FPO).

Free mail must have a complete APO or FPO return address, the word "Free" in the upper right corner with an APO or FPO postmark, and a complete delivery address. Free mail may not be registered, insured, or certified.

All employees who handle and deliver mail should be made aware of this free mail privilege. Do not collect postage upon delivery, or return this mail to the sender for postage.

- International Network Operations,Network Operations Management, 11-15-01

APO/FPO Changes

Make the following ink changes to the most recent APO/FPO table in Postal Bulletin 22061 (10-18-01).

- International Network Operations,Network Operations Management, 11-15-01

Finance

HANDBOOK F-1 REVISION

Floor Stock Counts at Retail Postal Stores and Segmented Inventory Accountability (SIA) Offices

Effective accounting period (AP) 4, postal fiscal year (PFY) 2002, Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures, is revised so that retail floor stock count results recorded to the corresponding AIC/GLA accounts will not require supporting documentation to be forwarded to the district Finance offices.

The following documentation is required for retail floor stock counts:

• PS Form 3294-P, Cash and Stamp Stock Count and Query, maintained at the local or the corresponding main office.

• PS Form 571, Discrepancy of $100 or More in Financial Responsibility, forwarded to Postal Inspection Service and a copy on file locally.

• PS Form 3368-P, Accountability Examination Record, maintained locally to record retail floor stock count results.

We will incorporate this revision into the next printed edition of Handbook F-1 and into the next update of the online version located on the corporate intranet at http://blue.usps.gov (click on Information, then Policies and Procedures, then Handbooks).

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

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4 Managing Accountable Paper

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487 Conducting Counts

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487.6 Counting Retail Floor Stock

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487.64 Procedures

* * * * *

Shortages

* * * * *

3> The postmaster/manager or supervisor follows these procedures:

[In the matrix, (1) keep headings, (2) delete the first row, and (3) keep the second row.]

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- Post Office Accounting,Finance, 11-15-01