Pictured above is the US Post Office on the USS Missouri memorial that stands in Pearl Harbor, HI: USPS policy requires a post office suspension be resolved with a reopening or permanent closure. Image: Michael Gordon/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe status of many Postal Service facilities whose operations have been suspended for various reasons remains unsettled despite a policy calling for decisions about their status within months, an IG report has said.
A facility may be suspended “due to a natural disaster, termination of a lease or rental agreement, lack of qualified personnel to operate the office, irreparable or severe damage to the retail facility, or the lack of adequate measures to safeguard the retail facility or its revenues. The Postal Service’s policy requires a post office suspension be resolved by either reopening or permanently closing the facility, which is typically completed between 180 to 280 days.”
The report noted, though, that the status of 381 facilities was unresolved as of last September despite the Postal Service’s efforts to come to decisions and despite a requirement imposed by the Postal Regulatory Commission for annual plans to resolve suspensions. The number has been somewhat above or below 400 each year after dropping from more than 600 over 2016-2017.
The USPS “lacked documentation to support implementation of its publicly reported plans to resolve post office suspensions. This primarily occurred due to changes in the Postal Service’s organizational structure and assigned responsibilities for the post office suspension process. In addition, the Postal Service’s system used for tracking post office suspensions had data reliability issues.”
It said management agreed with recommendations to update its policies including assignment of responsibilities, formally document and monitor plans to resolve suspensions and improve the data in its tracking system.
Key Bills Advancing, but No Path to Avoid Shutdown Apparent
TSP Adds Detail to Upcoming Roth Conversion Feature
White House to Issue Rules on RIF, Disciplinary Policy Changes
DoD Announces Civilian Volunteer Detail in Support of Immigration Enforcement
See also,
How Do Age and Years of Service Impact My Federal Retirement
The Best Ages for Federal Employees to Retire
How to Challenge a Federal Reduction in Force (RIF) in 2025
Should I be Shooting for a $1M TSP Balance? Depends…
