[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 29, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57889-57890]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23543]
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POSTAL SERVICE
Mailing Cremated Remains
AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Postal Service is amending Hazardous, Restricted, and
Perishable Mail, Publication 52, in various sections to require
markings on mailpieces containing cremated remains, to eliminate the
use of USPS-produced Priority Mail Express[supreg] labels for domestic
shipments, and to limit the use of additional mailing services.
DATES: Date of publication in the Postal Bulletin: November 7, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen F. Key at (202) 268-7492 or
Garry Rodriguez at (202) 268-7281.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Postal Service published a notice of
prospective revision of standards; invitation to comment on September
17, 2019, (84 FR 48959-48960) to:
1. Require the use of Label 139, Cremated Remains, on all domestic
or international mailpieces containing cremated remains.
2. Eliminate the use of Labels 11-B, 11-F, and 11-HFPU, for
domestic shipments containing cremated remains.
3. Limit the additional mailing services for mailpieces containing
cremated remains to insurance and return receipt.
The Postal Service did not receive any comments to this notice of
prospective revision of standards.
[[Page 57890]]
To increase the visibility of mailpieces containing cremated
remains to postal employees and to ensure those mailpieces are more
secure for processing and timely delivery, the Postal Service is
requiring the use of Label 139 to be affixed to each side (including
top and bottom) of a Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail Express
International mailpiece containing cremated remains (USPS-produced or
customer supplied). As an alternative, the Postal Service is
introducing a special Priority Mail Express cremated remains branded
box (BOX-CRE) that may be used for domestic or international shipments
of cremated remains. The new Priority Mail Express cremated remains
branded box will be available as part of a kit that will be offered in
two versions. One kit will contain the box and a roll of tape. The
other kit will include the box, a self-sealing plastic bag, bubble
wrap, tape, and Publication 139, How to Package and Ship Cremated
Remains. Both kits can be ordered online at the Postal Store on
USPS.com[supreg].
To improve service, the Postal Service is providing an option for
retail customers to present a mailpiece containing cremated remains at
a Post Office[supreg] location and have a shipping label printed and
affixed. Customers will continue to have the option to use a single-ply
Priority Mail Express label generated through Click-N-Ship or other
USPS-approved method. If customers generate a single-ply label, the
Postal Service is requiring an Intelligent Mail[supreg] package barcode
(IMpb[supreg]) shipping label with the appropriate service type code
and banner text above the barcode (see Publication 199) used for
cremated remains domestic shipments. The shipping services file must
include the appropriate cremated remains three-digit Extra Service Code
for domestic and international shipments (see Publication 199). The use
of a Priority Mail Express Label 11-B, 11-F, and 11-HFPU, will no
longer be accepted for cremated remains domestic shipments.
As a result of improving service with the new shipping label
requirements, the Postal Service is limiting the extra services
available when mailing cremated remains to additional insurance and
return receipt, and is eliminating the option to use Hold For Pickup
service. Customers will continue to have the option to request a
signature.
The specific revisions to Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted,
and Perishable Mail referenced in this notice will be published in
Postal Bulletin 22532 on November 7, 2019, and can be viewed at http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin. These revisions are expected to be
incorporated into Publication 52 within the next few weeks. Publication
52 is provided in its entirety on Postal Explorer[supreg] at
pe.usps.com.
In addition, the Postal Service will update Mailing Standards of
the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg])
and International Mail Manual (IMM[supreg]), and Publication 139, How
to Package and Ship Cremated Remains, under separate cover.
These revisions will enable the Postal Service to provide an
improved customer experience from sender to receiver.
* * * * *
Brittany M. Johnson,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2019-23543 Filed 10-28-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P