USPS Office of Inspector General

Our audits of Postal Service operations span different geographies, from national analysis to regional to local issues.  While most of our audits are self-initiated, many come from stakeholders including Congress.  

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the Postal Service making changes and “slowing down the mail,” using terms like service standards and service targets. Don’t understand what any of this means? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Shedding some light on this subject is the topic of our recently released report, A Primer on Service Standards.  

Did you ever wonder what happens to mail with an illegible address or that’s sent to someone who no longer lives at the address? The U.S. Postal Service refers to this mail as undeliverable as addressed, or UAA mail. What happens next depends on how the mail was sent, such as the mail class and what services were paid for. It could be forwarded, returned to sender, or treated as waste.