April is "EAP Awareness Month"

April is "EAP Awareness Month." Be aware of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits and know how to take advantage of its services. Many district EAP advisory committees will be showcasing EAP services this month. Call EAP 24 hours a day at 800-327-4968 (800-EAP-4YOU) or TTY 877-492-7341 for confidential help with work, family, health and personal matters.

Know Your Emergency Phone Numbers

There are many types of emergencies --- including inclement weather. But there’s only one source of information on work schedule and reporting time changes, facility openings and closings, and other workplace announcements due to an emergency situation. To check your work schedule and/or status of your facility in an emergency situation (including before, during, and after a tropical storm or a hurricane): USPS National Employee Emergency Hot Line 888-363-7462 South Florida District Employees: ONLY in case of a natural disaster requiring you to leave your home, city, or state … report your location, physical condition, and contact information to the USPS Emergency Notification Line 866-666-5349 Please DO NOT call this number for information on your work schedule/facility status. (Deaf/hard-of-hearing employees who are seeking the above workplace information should call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 or the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771. Ask the operator to call the USPS National Employee Emergency Hot Line, then relay the information to you.)

EDDM: Simplified Addressing is a Hit

The Postal Service’s promotion of “Every Door Direct Mail” (EDDM) is producing results. Since its introduction, USPS has closed millions in annualized sales with hundreds of customers who are using the product to promote their goods and services.

EDDM — a form of Simplified Addressing used by the Postal Service for years — allows business mailers to use mail delivery route information, instead of names and exact addresses, to reach target customer groups in urban areas. It has long been an accepted addressing option on rural routes and for government mailings.

With EDDM, businesses can send advertising mail without acquiring an address list or printing addresses on each mailpiece. Instead, letter carriers deliver EDDM along with the day’s mail to every address on routes customers want to reach.

Retailers and service-based businesses who want to expand their customer base locally, regionally or across the country are using the service.

If you have a business or know of a business that would benefit from EDDM, please contact our District Grow Your Business Days Coordinator Lillian Castro at 954-436-4417.

Communication: ASL, VRI, VRS in WPB

Scott Ostermiller, Regional Director for Sorenson Communications, conducted VRI/VRS training at the West Palm Beach P&DC. Photo: Marguerite Goulet L to R: Doug Leakey, Clerk Cleotria Green, HR Specialist Coleen Lovin, Chef Steward George Gervasi, Mail Handler Mark Hersh, and Supervisor Richard Guevara Attend the VRI/VRS presentation. Photo: Marguerite Goulet

Behind English and Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL) is the third most communicated language in the United States. And the Postal Service is one of the nation’s largest employers of people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. To improve communication with deaf/hard-of-hearing employees, the Postal Service is expanding its Video Remote Interpreter (VRI) and Video Relay Service (VRS) to nearly 300 facilities nationwide --- including the West Palm Beach P&DC. Employees at other South Florida plants will benefit from VRI and VRS in the near future. The services allow employees who use ASL to take part in meetings or discussions during a video conference using an ASL interpreter. With VRI, interpreters translate sign language to voice and voice to sign language for individuals at a common location. These communications are transmitted over high-speed internet and displayed on a large-screen TV. VRS is a visual telephone system equipped with a web camera and is used for conversations between hearing and deaf/hard-of-hearing individuals at different locations.

USPS 'Drive Thrus' Open for Tax Day, April 18

Taxpayers have an extra weekend to file their income tax returns this year because of a District of Columbia holiday. The deadline is Monday, April 18, instead of the usual April 15. For customer convenience, on Monday, April 18, up until 9 pm (not 12 midnight as in previous years), USPS mail handlers will collect income tax returns at a drive-through set up in the parking lot of these facilities: Fort Lauderdale Processing and Distribution Center, 1900 W Oakland Park Blvd, Fort Lauderdale Miami Processing and Distribution Center, 2200 NW 72 Avenue, Miami West Palm Beach Processing and Distribution Center, 3200 Summit Blvd, West Palm Beach Many South Florida Post Offices will be open after 5 pm on Tax Day, Monday, April, 18. Go to usps.com for a list of these locations. The Postal Service provides these tips for customers filing income tax returns: » If filing on April 18, mail early in the day at any Post Office or in any collection box. Post Office and collection box location, hours and pick-up time information are available at (800) ASK-USPS or online at usps.whitepages.com/post_office. » If depositing returns in a collection box on April 18, double-check the pick-up schedule on the label. To ensure getting the April 18 postmark, please deposit returns before the last scheduled pick-up time. » Affix the correct postage, especially since the item may weigh more than an ounce. Stamps may be purchased at the retail counter, per Post Office hours of operation. Also, postage may be purchased at an Automated Postal Center (APC) in the lobby of many Post Offices. Credit or debit card only for APC transactions. For locations, go to usps.com, select “Locate a Post Office,” type your address, and select “Automated Postal Centers” from the drop menu. Or follow these instructions and select “Alternate Locations to Buy Stamps” from the drop menu. » Due to heightened security, all mail that bears only postage stamps and weighs more than 13 ounces must be taken by the customer to a retail service counter at a Post Office.