Notice to Members! Healthcare & PSHB

2024 Federal Benefits Open Season from November 11 through December 9, 2024.

The PSHB program will have no impact on PostalService employees’ and annuitants’ dental, vision, life insurance, Flexible Spending Account, or long-term care coverage.

In the initial year of PSHB enrollment, PostalService employees and annuitants who are enrolled in FEHB coverage during the 2024 plan year will be automatically enrolled in a PSHB plan that is the same as or similar to their 2024 FEHB plan, to the extent one is offered. Current RCBP members will automatically be enrolled in RCBP for the 2025 plan year. However, we encourage everyone to verify their enrollment during open season.

Postal Service employees and annuitants can make PSHB plan selections and enroll during the 2024 Open Season through a new enrollment platform, the Postal Service Health Benefits System (PSHBS). The PSHBS will be used specifically for health benefits enrollment and will require a login.gov account. Visit www.login.gov for more information how to set up an account.Information on how to login and enroll will be provided to employees and annuitants before the 2024 Open Season period. Alternate methods of enrollment for the PSHB Program will also be provided.

Premium comparison chart, click here.

MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW ONCE IT BECOMES AVAILABLE, please look to the following websites for more information:

  1. www.NRLCA.org
  2. www.OPM.gov
  3. www.rcbphealth.com

Please look to your October edition of the NRLCA magazine to see more information as well, pages 14 and 15.

Mini Mail Survey #4

Saturday, August 10, 2024 Begin MMS Preload Begin data entry of “Route Settings” and “Office Walk Distance”
Friday,  August 23, 2024 Begin MMS First Day of 12-Day MMS – Begin data entry of “Daily Volume” and “Miscellaneous Time”
Friday, September 06, 2024 DPM / LTM Mapping Certification Deadline Routes must be mapped in DPM and certified in LTM
Friday, September 06, 2024 End MMS Last Day of MMS – Data for all routes should be entered for all 12 days of the MMS
Friday, September 13, 2024 Lockout MMS Final Day for MMS Entries – No updates to MMS data may be made after 09.13.2024
Saturday, September 28, 2024 Forms 4241A & 4241M PDF Print and Distribute PS Forms 4241A & 4241M
Saturday, October 05, 2024 Effective Date Route Evaluations go into effect

Mini Mail Survey Spring 2024

Survey will be completed from 2/24/2024 until 3/8/2024.

Ensure your Edit Books and LTM/DPM are up to date to avoid any unnecessary disputes. Mapping is only to be completed with the carriers present!

Add NYRLCA Calendar to your calendar via the RSS feed below the monthly calendar to automatically update your own calendars with auto-populated meetings.

Important Dates:
2/10/2024-3/15/2024: Delivery Units enter Office Walk, Route Settings and Daily Volume data into the Rural Management Support System (RMSS) web application

2/24/2024: A 12-day Mini Mail Survey of stated items begins on all rural routes

2/24/2024-3/8/2024: Data entry must be made daily by COB for all routes

3/1/2024: DPM / LTM Mapping Deadline Date. No mapping changes will be reflected post this date in Evaluation 3

3/15/2024: All Mini Mail Survey entries to include Office Walk, Route Settings and Daily Volume must be finalized by 17:00 CT [6:00pm Eastern Time]. No additional changes will be accepted post this date.

4/6/2024: Effective date of the RRECS Evaluation; Update the Rural Carrier schedules in RMSS Scheduling tool

Buyback Bill – HR5995

HR5995 – Federal Retirement Fairness Act

On October 19, 2023, Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Don Bacon (R-NE) and David Valadao (R-CA) introduced the Federal Retirement Fairness Act (FRFA), more commonly referred to by rural letter carriers as “buy back” legislation. The Federal Retirement Fairness Act would “amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that civilian service in a temporary position after December 31, 1988, may be creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System.” This would provide rural letter carriers who served as relief employees after December 31, 1988, the opportunity to buy back credit for service. The FRFA impacts not only rural letter carriers, but other federal employees as well, who began their employment as non-career workers and did not have the ability to make retirement contributions.

Please click here to read the press release with NRLCA President Don Maston quoted in the announcement. Click here to view the form letter to send to your member of Congress.

Grassroots Form for Buyback Bill (HR5995 – FRFA)

Congress.gov information on HR5995