Thursday, August 6, 2020

What is Going On With Mail Delivery?

I have been hearing from my clients that many of them are not getting timely delivery of their mail from the United States Postal Service (“USPS”). Some of my clients have indicated that they are not even getting mail delivered six days a week anymore.

I had started noticing slight delays in mail delivery times over the last couple of months and chalked it up to the ramifications of the stay-at-home order from COVID-19. After all, a lot more people were mailing letters and packages to loved ones and friends during the isolation.

However, I noticed that mail service has gotten much worse over the last few weeks. I have had both business and personal priority one-day packages stuck in “transit” for several weeks. They seem to be getting delayed at the USPS Los Angeles Distribution Center.

Thus, I decided to file some complaints and claims with USPS to see what is going on.  Afterall, Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income claims are governed by specific time frames. I have to make sure that my clients are receiving timely notifications from the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) to ensure that we take timely action and respond appropriately.

I learned that President Trump appointed a new Postmaster General, named Mr. Louis DeJoy on June 15, 2020. He is from the private sector and spent his career working in logistics. He also happens to be a major donor to President Trump’s reelection campaign.

One month into the job, Postmaster General DeJoy implemented significant changes in hopes of cutting costs. Overtime was eliminated and mail carriers are being told to return any mail that they cannot delivery within their shifts back to the office for a later delivery. Postmaster General DeJoy admits that these changes will increase delivery times and result in mail being left on the workroom floors or the dock. However, he feels these actions are necessary to make USPS solvent again.

It is not secret that USPS has had their share of troubles over the years. I understand that Postmaster General DeJoy needs to take significant action to make USPS a more efficient agency. However, is now the time to do this? Should we really be monkeying with USPS’s budget during a pandemic when reliable mail is more important than ever? Should we be increasing delivery times at USPS when an election is less than three months away? Common sense would dictate a definite “no” to those questions, but that is where we are currently.  

Locally, I was told by two different supervisors at the Los Angeles Distribution Center that I should stop paying for priority and express services and use a different private carrier if I needed to get my package anywhere at a particular time. I was also told that a package “in transit” does not mean it is lost, in spite of the fact that it is now four weeks late for its one-day delivery.

There is going to be a hearing with the House Oversight Committee to address these changes on September 17, 2020. There are also some rumors that an investigation is being launched due to the suspicious timing of these changes in conjunction with what is likely going to be a contested election.

For now, we are stuck with the USPS delays. However, I wanted to make sure that you are all aware of the situation. It is more important than ever that you call me if you receive any letters from SSA. I, in turn, will call you if I receive any mail from SSA on your behalf. We can no longer assume that we will all get our mail delivered in a timely fashion, so we have to work in coordination with one another until USPS fixes these delays.

Got a question about SSDI or SSI that you need us to answer? Please check out our website at www.westcoastdisability.com . We try to provide you with helpful information on our website that will allow you to successfully navigate the Social Security Disability process. Also, feel free to email me your questions at megan@westcoastdisability.com or call me at (800) 459-3017 x 101.