On January 9, 2018, the USPS® published a Federal Register Notice proposing a new “Green & Secure” alternative method to meet the Move Update standard for eligible First-Class Mail® and USPS Marketing Mail™ Letters and Flats that meet the requirements for Full-Service or Basic mailings. The USPS is doing this to reduce handling costs of Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA) mail by minimizing the cost or processing return mail. Comments on the proposed method are due by February 8, 2018.
The idea behind this method is if you elect to use Secure Destruction in First-Class Mail or allow the USPS to dispose of UAA USPS Marketing Mail, through proper endorsements, you will not be subject to the new Move Update Verification Method that went into effect with the January 21, 2018 Price Change. You will be required to use an ACS Change Service STID or Secure Destruction STID in order to be removed from the Move Update Census Calculation. You will be able to see any pieces that were removed as warnings on the USPS Scorecards instead of assessable errors.
The USPS will be deploying a February 25 release that will include the new scorecard warning rows. Because of this, the USPS is moving the start date for assessments to April instead of March.
It is not clear if using this method provides “Safe Harbor” from the Postal Inspection Service and other DMM rules.