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POM REVISION

Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents

Effective August 31, 2006, we are revising 146.112 of the Postal Operations Manual (POM) to include a reference to the new PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents, which appears on page 7 of this Postal Bulletin. The form was created to ease compliance with 146.112.d, which requires an accepting employee to document damage to support indemnity claims.

Postal Operations Manual (POM)

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1 Retail Management

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14 Other Retail Services Management

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146 Indemnity Claims

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146.1 General Instructions for Filing Claims

146.11 How to File

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146.112 Accepting Post Office

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[Revise 146.112 items d and e to read as follows:]

d. For damage claims, indicate the location of the damaged article on PS Form 1000; complete PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents; and handle under 146.3. Provide any other information that may help in the adjudication of the claim.

e. Detach copy 2 of PS Form 1000 and give it to the customer to retain until the claim is settled. Forward copy 1 of the claim form and supporting documentation to the St. Louis Accounting Service Center for processing. (For unnumbered Insured Mail, do not mail copy 1 of PS Form 1000 to the St. Louis Accounting Service Center until after processing locally as described in 146.122.)

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146.124 Damage Claim Filed by Addressee

[Revise 146.124 to read as follows:]

If the addressee files a damage claim, part B of PS Form 1000 must be completed to show that the damaged article and mailing container, including any wrapping, packaging, and any other contents they received, were presented for inspection when the claim was filed. Complete PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents, and handle under 146.3. Provide any other information that may help in the adjudication of the claim. The St. Louis ASC will make payment to the person designated in section A 3a of PS Form 1000 provided the original proof of insurance is submitted with claim. If a dual claim is filed, the claim with the original mailing receipt will be honored.

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Exhibit 146.124
Processing Claims for Damage or Partial Loss of Contents

[Revise Exhibit 146.124 to read as follows:]

All Claims for Damaged/Missing Contents

• Complete PS Form 1000, part B, to show that the damaged article and mailing container, including wrapping, packaging, and any other contents that were received, were presented for inspection when the claim was filed.

• If necessary, return the article to the customer so that an appraisal or estimate can be obtained.

• Use PS Form 3831, Receipt for Article(s) Damaged in Mails, to provide a receipt for damaged articles. Note the condition on the form.

• Payment is made to the customer presenting the mailing receipt or to the addressee when designated by the sender as payee.

Exception: (For numbered Insured Mail articles only) If the addressee paid for repair to a partially damaged article and the endorsement on the wrapper shows that enough insurance was bought to cover the cost of repairs, payment will be made to the addressee unless a claim payment has already been made on the numbered Insured Mail article.

• If the article has no salvage value (below $10.00), allow the customer to keep it if the customer wants it; otherwise, destroy it.

• If the completely damaged Insured Mail, COD, or Express Mail article has salvage value, retain it until the claim and all appeals are settled, and then forward it to the appropriate mail recovery center.

• For Registered Mail claims, retain the article and the packaging until released by notification from the St. Louis ASC.

• Detach copy 2 of PS Form 1000 and give it to the customer to retain until the claim is settled.

• Complete PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents. Provide any other information that may help in the adjudication of the claim.

• Forward copy 1 of the claim form PS Form 1000; a copy of PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents; and supporting documentation to the St. Louis Accounting Service Center for processing. (For unnumbered Insured Mail, do not mail copy 1 of PS Form 1000 to the St. Louis Accounting Service Center until after processing locally as described in 146.122.)

• Retain copies of all forms and documentation locally.

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146.3 Disposition

146.31 Damaged Article

[Revise 146.31 to read as follows:]

For a completely damaged article with little or no salvage value (under $10.00), allow the customer to keep the article if the customer wants it; items that may be of a hazardous nature to employees must be destroyed. If the completely damaged Insured Mail, COD, or Express Mail article has salvage value, retain it until the claim and all appeals are settled, then forward it to the appropriate mail recovery center. For Registered Mail damage claims, retain the article and packaging at the Post Office until released by notification from the St. Louis ASC. Provide the customer with PS Form 3831, Receipt for Article(s) Damaged in Mails.

St. Louis ASC will notify the customer in writing that the claimant has 30 days from the date of denial action to recover the article and that he/she has no recourse if, subsequently, the item is disposed of after the 30 days. Articles on which claims are paid, on which the customer has not filed an appeal, or on which the customer fails to recover, should be forwarded to the appropriate mail recovery center on the next weekly dispatch. The status of a claim can be obtained by calling the St. Louis ASC Help Desk at 866-974-2733. Articles being sent to the mail recovery center should not be stripped of the insured labels and must include a copy of the paid claim letter or notice that the item is ready for auction. Always document disposition of damaged articles. Make sure the disposition of the damaged article is clearly annotated on PS Form 1000.

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We will incorporate this revision into the next printed edition of the POM and into the next update of the online POM, available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet Web site:

• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

• Under "Essential Links" in the left-and column, click on References.

• Under "References" in the right-hand column, under "Policies," click on PolicyNet.

• Click on Manuals.

(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)

— Consumer Advocate, 8-31-06

PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents.


NEW FORM

PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents

The new PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents, (August 2006), complies with the requirements of Postal Operations Manual 146.112.d. Use this form when an accepting employee needs to document damage to support indemnity claims. A copy of PS Form 2856 appears on page 7 of this Postal Bulletin.

PS Form 2856 is available from the Material Distribution Center (MDC). You can order the from the MDC and use touch tone order entry (TTOE): Call 800-332-0317, option 2.

Note: You must be registered to use TTOE. To register, call 800-332-0317, option 1, extension 2925, and follow the prompts to leave a message. (Wait 48 hours after registering before placing your first order.)

Use the following information to order PS Form 2856:

PSIN: PS 2856
PSN: 7530-09-000-3988
Unit of Measure: EA
Minimum Order Quantity: 1
Quick Pick Number: N/A
Bulk Pack Quantity: N/A
Price: $0.0177

PS Form 2856 is available online at the Postal Service™ PolicyNet Web site:

• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

• Under "Essential Links" in the left-hand column, click on References.

• Under "References" in the right-hand column, under "Policies," click on PolicyNet.

• Click on Forms.

(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)

— Consumer Advocate, 8-31-06


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