Military Shipping Deadlines

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but many people miss loved ones who are stationed overseas as military or diplomatic members. While the holidays are a hard time to be away from home, the U.S. Postal Service makes it a priority that those serving their country will receive their presents, care packages and cards in time for the holidays — no matter where they may be.  

To send packages to loved ones serving in the military and diplomatic posts abroad, the Postal Service offers a discounted price of $17.35 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate Box. The price includes a $1.50 per box discount for mail sent to APO/FPO/DPO (Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office) destinations worldwide.

Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are available at no cost at local Post Offices and online at shop.usps.com. Postage, labels and customs forms can be printed online anytime using Click-N-Ship at usps.com/ship. 

To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by Dec. 25, the Postal Service recommends that cards and packages be sent to military APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than the mailing dates listed below.

Military Mail Addressed  To and From	Priority Mail Express Military Service (PMEMS)1	First-Class Mail Letters and Cards	Priority Mail	Parcel Airlift     Mail    (PAL)2	Space Available Mail      (SAM)3	Retail Ground
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 090-092	Dec. 16	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27	Nov. 6
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP   093	N/A	Dec. 4	Dec. 4	Dec. 4	Nov. 27	Nov. 6
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 094-098	Dec. 16	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27	Nov. 6
APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIP   340	Dec. 16	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27	Nov. 6
APO/FPO/DPO AP ZIPs 962-966	Dec. 16	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27	Nov. 6

¹ PMEMS is available to selected military/diplomatic Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address.

² PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. PAL is available for Standard Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface price for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

³ SAM parcels are paid at Standard Post prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.

Use the Military Care Kit to Send Presents and Care Packages
The Postal Service has created a free “Military Care Kit” based on the items most frequently requested by military families. The kit contains:

1. Two Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO Flat Rate Boxes

2. Two Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Boxes
3. Priority Mail tape4. Priority Mail address labels
5. Appropriate customs forms

To order the kit, call 800-610-8734. Guidelines for packing, addressing and shipping items to U.S. troops can be found at usps.com/ship/apo-fpo-dpo.htm. To order Flat-Rate Boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to usps.com/freeboxes.

Addressing the Package
1. Write the service member’s full name
2. Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP Code (if one is assigned). For example:

Army/Air Post Office (APO)

PFC JANE DOE
PSC 3 BOX 4120
APO AE 09021

Fleet Post Office (FPO)

SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
UNIT 100100 BOX 4120
FPO AP 96691

Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)

MELANIE ADAMS
UNIT 8400 BOX 0000
DPO AE 09498-0048

1. Do not write the country name where the service member is stationed in the address
2. Include a return address
3. Inside the box, include the service member’s name and address as well as the sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label gets damaged in transit

Domestic mailing deadlines are as follows:                               

Standard Post	First-Class Mail	Priority Mail	Priority Mail Express
Dec. 14	Dec. 19	Dec. 20	Dec. 22

USPS Previews Alzheimer’s Stamp

The U.S. Postal Service previewed the image of the Alzheimer’s Semipostal fundraising stamp.

Available nationwide Nov. 30, the Alzheimer’s Semipostal stamp will be sold for 60 cents. The price includes the First-Class single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase plus an amount to fund Alzheimer’s research. By law, revenue from sales of the Alzheimer’s Semipostal stamp — minus the postage paid and the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred by the Postal Service — will be distributed to the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Megan J. Brennan will dedicate the stamp. The artwork is an illustration that first appeared on the 2008 42-cent Alzheimer’s Awareness stamp. It shows an older woman in profile with a caring hand on her shoulder with the suggestion of sunlight behind her and clouds in front of and below her. On the 2008 stamp, she was facing left; the artwork for this stamp shows her facing right to help differentiate between the two stamps. Stamp artist Matt Mahurin of Topanga Canyon, CA, worked under the direction of art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD.

The Semipostal Authorization Act, Pub. L. 106–253, grants the U.S. Postal Service discretionary authority to issue and sell semipostal fundraising stamps to advance such causes as it considers to be ‘‘in the national public interest and appropriate.’’ Under the program, the Postal Service intends to issue five semipostal fundraising stamps over a 10-year period, with each stamp to be sold for no more than two years. The Alzheimer’s Semipostal stamp is the first and will be followed by a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) semipostal stamp to be issued in 2019. The next three discretionary semipostal stamps have not yet been determined. 

Under the Act, the Postal Service will consider proposals for future semipostals until May 20, 2023. The Federal Register notice outlining this program can be found at the following url:  https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-04-20/pdf/2016-09081.pdf. 

USPS is Ready to Deliver the Holidays

The U.S. Postal Service will deliver more than 15 billion pieces of mail this holiday season. In the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the Postal Service also expects to deliver 850 million packages, which is more than a 10 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

“The Postal Service is well prepared to meet our customers’ needs during the holiday season, especially as demand for package deliveries continues to grow,” said Postmaster General/CEO Megan J. Brennan.

The Postal Service will be expanding its Sunday delivery operations to locations with high package volumes beginning Nov. 26. The Postal Service already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities, and anticipates delivering more than six million packages on Sundays this December. Mail carriers will also deliver packages on Christmas Day in select locations.

“America relies on the Postal Service and our 640,000 dedicated employees to deliver the holidays,” said Brennan. “We take great pride in our holiday readiness and preparation, and in our ability to offer reliable, predictable and affordable service in every community in America.”

Busiest Mailing and Delivery Days

With an increase in early and online shopping for gifts, there is no longer a “busiest day” for holiday shipping. Instead, the Postal Service’s busiest time is now two weeks before Christmas. Starting the week of Dec. 11, customer traffic is expected to increase, with the week of Dec. 18 - 24 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping, and delivery week. During this week, nearly three billion pieces of First-Class Mail, including greeting cards, will be processed and delivered. The Postal Service also expects to deliver nearly 200 million packages per week during these two weeks.

Skip the Trip and Ship Online

While there may not be a busiest day for shipping this year, the Postal Service anticipates that Dec. 18 will be the Postal Service’s busiest day online with more than seven million customers predicted to visit usps.com for help shipping that special holiday gift. Customers can avoid holiday hassles by visiting usps.com — the Postal Service’s website that helps make mailing and shipping easier than ever. Millions of customers will skip the trip to the Post Office altogether and take advantage of convenient online shipping this holiday season. Click-N-Ship and other online services allow customers to order free Priority Mail boxes, print shipping labels, purchase postage and even request free next-day Package Pickup from the mail carrier. And usps.com is always open.

The Postal Service offers a new feature this year to help you track and schedule package delivery. Our Informed Delivery tool not only allows you to see your incoming mail and packages, it also allows you to reschedule delivery of your packages to ensure you’re able to be home to receive them.

 

2017 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

The USPS recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines:

Nov.   6    – APO/FPO/DPO USPS Retail Ground

 Dec. 11    – APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail & First-Class Mail

 Dec. 14    – USPS Retail Ground

Dec. 15    – Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail & First-Class Mail

 Dec. 16    – APO/FPO/DPO USPS Priority Mail Express

Dec. 16    – First-Class Packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
Dec. 19    – First-Class Mail (including greeting cards)
Dec. 20    – Priority Mail
Dec. 20    – Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail Express
Dec. 20    – Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail & First-Class Mail
Dec. 21    – Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail Express
Dec. 22    – Priority Mail Express 

Federal Employees Benefit Fairs

Open Season, your once-a-year opportunity to make changes to your health coverage or to choose a new plan, is November 13 through December 11.

The South Florida District has scheduled five off-the-clock Federal Employees Benefit Fairs open to all employees from Fort Pierce to Key West and every location in between. Be sure to wear your postal identification badge. On the dates below (and with the exception of Fort Lauderdale), representatives from several health plans will be available to answer your questions and to distribute material. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) professional counselors also will be available to share the benefits of this program.
                                          
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13
West Palm Beach P&DC Cafeteria, 3200 Summit BLVD, West Palm Beach, FL 33416
6:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
Miami P&DC Cafeteria, 2200 NW 72 AVE, Miami, FL 33152
6:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Fort Lauderdale Main Office Employee Breakroom, 1900 W Oakland Park BLVD, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310

6:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Note: Health plan information will be available, but there will be no health plan representatives.
 
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15
Royal Palm P&DC Cafeteria, 5500 NW 142 ST, Opa-locka, FL 33054
6:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Miami International Service Center Cafeteria, 11698 NW 25 ST, Miami, FL 33112
6:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
 

It's Native American Heritage Month

Sacagawea, a 29-cent Legends of the West stamp, was issued in October 1994.

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The annual observance celebrates the cultures, histories, traditions and contributions of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

More than 4,000 Postal Service employees identify themselves as American Indian or Alaska Natives. The American Indian and Alaska Native population in the United States is about 5.2 million, according to U.S. Census data.

Many postage stamps have been issued to honor American Indians and their contributions. Examples include Indian Hunting Buffalo (1898), the first stamp to portray a uniquely Native American theme; four American Folk Art stamps (1977); and 10 Art of the American Indian stamps.

Source: LINK

Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 5

Remember to "fall back" this Sunday, November 5. Turn back your clocks by one hour at 2 a.m.

While we sprang forward on March 12 this year, we won't fall back until Sunday, Nov. 5. If you're old enough to remember a time before 2007, then you might recall Daylight Saving Time ending closer to Halloween. That's because from 1987 through 2006, Daylight Saving Time started on the first Sunday in April and lasted through the last Sunday in October. Then, the United States changed the dates to correspond with the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a bill designed to counteract America's energy problems.

If you're looking for someone to blame for the loss of sunlight, direct your ire at Benjamin Franklin who suggested resetting clocks in the summer to conserve energy. But it wasn't until about a century later when Europe reset its clocks during World War I, and the United States followed in 1918. 

Everglades Letter Carrier Retires

Everglades Letter Carrier Jesus Lugo, Jr. (second from right), retired with 33 years of service. Fort Lauderdale Manager, Customer Service Operations Gwen Branch (left) presented Lugo with his Retirement Certificate as Everglades Manager, Customer Services Adrian Drummond (second from left) and National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 2550 President Jerrel Kinloch (far right) joined in the recognition.  Lugo completed his career delivering mail in Fort Lauderdale. Photo: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Kelly Worthman