Upcoming Audit Work

Postal Service management established new relief supervisor positions in customer service, mail processing, maintenance, and logistics in June 2023. The intent of these newly created positions was to provide coverage for regular supervisors during their leave and scheduled days off and to reduce the Postal Service’s reliance on acting supervisors (commonly referred to as 204Bs). Relief supervisors have the same supervisory responsibilities and pay scale as regular supervisors. Our objective is to evaluate the establishment of the relief supervisor position and its impact on the workforce.

The mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to support and protect the U.S. Postal Service and its employees, infrastructure, and customers. To help accomplish this mission, the Postal Inspection Service conducts risk assessments to ensure security controls are upheld and in place at postal facilities. 
Our objective is to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the Postal Service and Inspection Service's oversight of the Vulnerability Risk Assessment Tool process and resolution of identified deficiencies.

The Postal Service faces persistent difficulties in both meeting its service performance targets and achieving financial sustainability. These challenges stem from a complex mix of internal and external factors. The internal environment is marked by ongoing network restructuring, aging infrastructure and equipment, labor issues, and struggles with organizational culture and management effectiveness. Externally, it must contend with declining mail volume, a surge in e-commerce and package volumes, regulatory constraints, and policy changes.

Our audit will evaluate the operational and financial performance of selected postal districts, specifically examining how operational culture impacts key performance indicators.

The mission of the Postal Service is to provide the nation with trusted, safe, and secure communications and mail services. Recently, news media have often reported concerns about mail theft. Congress has focused on mail theft during congressional hearings and as a result, sent inquiries to the OIG. In a previous OIG report, U.S. Postal Service’s Response to Mail Theft, dated September 28, 2023, we identified several mail theft concerns including management not having actionable milestones, lack of arrow key accountability, and challenges with employee staffing and postal inspector mail theft training. Our objective is to follow up on U.S. Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service’s response to mail theft, and the scope of our audit will be from October 2023 through September 2025.