Effective July 1, 2016, the Postal Service™ will revise Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures, section 9-1.9, to reflect the new policy on USPIS® seized cash. AIC 275, Insp Ser-Holding Acct-Seizure and Forfeiture, has been created to report seized cash. AIC 280, Disbursement Sent to ASC, will no longer be used.
The USPIS has created a new form titled Seized Cash Deposit (SCD) that will replace PS Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products, and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts. The SCD form is owned by the Inspection Service and will be presented along with the cash for deposit. As per the original policy, it is still the responsibility of management to count, verify, and prepare the cash for deposit. The sales and services associate (SSA) is responsible for entering the deposit on PS Form 1412, Daily Financial Report, and verifying that the amount entered is correct per the steps outlined below. No additional verification is required by the SSA. The SCD, signed by management, serves as support for the deposit amount entered by the SSA. An example of the SCD form is provided at the end of this article.
Example of Seized Cash Deposit Form
Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures
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9 Cash Management
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9-1 Banking
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[Revise the title and text of 9-1.9 to read as follows:]
9-1.9 Seized Cash Deposit by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Seized cash from an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) can be deposited at a point of sale (POS) or retail systems software (RSS) postal retail unit (PRU). A no-fee money order must not be issued for seized cash. On occasion, a postal inspector might request to purchase a money order for reasons other than seized cash. In such instances, the SSA should ask if the money order request is related to seized cash. If it is not, the SSA should process as a normal money order transaction. If it is related to seized cash, the SSA, management, and the postal inspector must follow the procedures outlined below.
The Postal Inspector does the following:
a. Schedules an appointment with the Postmaster, manager, supervisor, or officer in charge (OIC) at the designated POS⁄RSS PRU. Note: Management should ensure that the appointment is scheduled within a week of notification by the Postal Inspector. This is crucial since seized cash must be on deposit within 60 days of seizure.
b. Counts and sorts the seized cash, with bills of the same denomination bundled together, before arriving at the designated PRU.
c. Arrives at the PRU at the scheduled time.
d. Submits to the Postmaster, manager, supervisor, or OIC a completed original and copy of the Seized Cash Deposit (SCD) form.
The Postmaster, manager, supervisor, or OIC does the following:
a. Recounts the money.
b. Prepares and dispatches a bank deposit following the procedures in section 9-1.2.
c. Signs the original and copy of the SCD form.
d. Submits the SCD form(s) to an SSA.
The SSA does the following:
a. Enters and verifies the account number from the SCD form.
b. Enters the full amount in AIC 275, Insp Ser-Holding Acct-Seizure and Forfeiture, and offsets the dollar amount to AIC 751, Cash Remitted Advance, and the coin amount to AIC 753, Cash Retained Today, on PS Form 1412, Daily Financial Report.
c. Attaches the system-generated Post Office receipt to the SCD form.
d. Keeps the original SCD form with the Post Office receipt attached.
e. Returns the copy of the SCD form with the Post Office receipt attached to the Postmaster, manager, supervisor, or OIC who in turn provides a copy of both to the Postal Inspector.
f. At the close of business, the SSA submits the original SCD form with the Post Office receipt attached to the closeout employee.
g. The closeout employee files the SCD form as supporting documentation for the unit’s PS Form 1412.
The USPIS does the following:
a. The Postal Inspector ensures the Post Office receipt reflects “Insp Ser-Holding Acct.”
b. The Postal Inspector provides the General Analyst (GA) a copy of the SCD form and Post Office receipt within 24 hours.
c. The Postal Inspector enters a final disposition of transfer to forfeiture specialist in the Property Evidence Acquisition Program (PEAP).
d. The GA emails a completed SCD form, listing, and Post Office receipt to the Headquarters (HQ) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) within 24 hours.
e. HQ AFU emails the SCD form, listing, and Post Office receipt to the San Mateo Accounting Service Center distribution list.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next online update of Handbook F-101, Field Accounting Procedures, available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
n Go to http:⁄⁄blue.usps.gov.
n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.
n Click Handbooks.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http:⁄⁄blue.usps.gov⁄cpim.
— Revenue and Field Accounting,
Controller, 6-23-16
