Ricketts Letter Calls on USPS to Improve Operations Affecting Service Across Nebraska

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) sent a letter to the Omaha Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), calling on an improvement to operations based on an audit by the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (USPS OIG). The letter was addressed to Director Daniel Hirai, senior processing operations leader for the Midwest Division branch at USPS. The Omaha center serves as a hub for all of Nebraska.

In the letter, Senator Ricketts detailed how Nebraskans have increasingly reported late deliveries, lost mail, and a decreased trust in the reliability of the USPS. This has led to detrimental financial and health impacts.

The letter reads:

"I respectfully encourage the Omaha Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to continue carrying out recommendations from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG). The USPS OIG has brought attention to several deficiencies within the Omaha P&DC. All Nebraskans and Americans rely on our post office services to provide timely and efficient services. These fixes will help ensure our constituents' mail is being properly handled.

"Several constituents have shared complications related to sending sensitive materials such as checks and prescriptions through the USPS. A constituent who sent a check that was never delivered went to the Plattsmouth post office to report the issue. They were told that lost mail was a common occurrence. Another constituent from Osmond who owns a business has had significant delays when sending checks through the mail. He mailed a check within his zip code that took over nine days to deliver. Checks sent within Omaha on January 9^th were not delivered until February 14^th. A pharmacy in Burwell, Nebraska spoke of delays for their prescription deliveries. The pharmacy told me that mail prescriptions are taking up to six weeks to arrive at destinations as close as 30 miles. These delays are affecting the ability of Nebraskans to run their businesses and stay healthy."

Read the full letter here and below.

Dear Director Hirai:

I respectfully encourage the Omaha Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to continue carrying out recommendations from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG). The USPS OIG has brought attention to several deficiencies within the Omaha P&DC. All Nebraskans and Americans rely on our post office services to provide timely and efficient services. These fixes will help ensure our constituents' mail is being properly handled.

The USPS OIG found issues and deficiencies with clearance times, delayed mail, scan compliances, package scanning, arrow keys, and property conditions. This has led to extremely late deliveries, lost mail, financial, and health impacts.

Several constituents have shared complications related to sending sensitive materials such as checks and prescriptions through the USPS. A constituent who sent a check that was never delivered went to the Plattsmouth post office to report the issue. They were told that lost mail was a common occurrence. Another constituent from Osmond who owns a business has had significant delays when sending checks through the mail. He mailed a check within his zip code that took over nine days to deliver. Checks sent within Omaha on January 9^th were not delivered until February 14^th. A pharmacy in Burwell, Nebraska spoke of delays for their prescription deliveries. The pharmacy told me that mail prescriptions are taking up to six weeks to arrive at destinations as close as 30 miles. These delays are affecting the ability of Nebraskans to run their businesses and stay healthy.

Some of these delays seem to be caused by illogical routing. For example, a Nebraskan sent a package from Elkhorn, NE to Arlington, VA. The package went from Elkhorn to a sorting center in St. Louis, MO. Then it was sent back to a distribution center in Omaha, NE. The package never made it to Arlington. These routing issues have caused emotional distress. Three young children who were recently orphaned needed passports to join their uncle in Japan. While two of the three passports came from Colorado to Nebraska, the third inexplicably ended up in New Hampshire. There it sat in a distribution center for five days delaying the children's chance to be with family.

USPS OIG provided an audit report to address these complications among others. Delays continue to affect many Nebraskans every day. It is clear that these recommendations are not working.

It is important these recommendations are implemented and Nebraska mail facilities continue monitoring their operations. We need to hold our offices accountable as these issues and deficiencies are resulting in delays, cancellations, and concerns. It is imperative that our constituents have reliable mail service systems for day-to-day activities, but also emergency situations. I appreciate your help in this matter.