6250 Page 1 of 6 FOREST SERVICE MANUAL WASHINGTON TITLE 6200 - OFFICE MANAGEMENT Amendment No. 6200-92-4 Effective July 1, 1992 POSTING NOTICE. Amendments are numbered consecutively by title and calendar year. Post by document name. Remove entire document and replace with this amendment. Retain this transmittal as the first page of this document. The last amendment to this Title was Amendment 6200-92-3 to 6250 Contents. This amendment supersedes Amendment 6200-90-1 to FSM 6250. Superseded New Document Name (Number of Pages) 6250 5 6 Digest: 6250 - Revises entire chapter on Mail Management. F. DALE ROBERTSON Chief FSM 6200 - OFFICE MANAGEMENT WO AMENDMENT 6200-92-4 EFFECTIVE 7/1/92 CHAPTER 6250 - MAIL MANAGEMENT 6250.1 - Authority. 1. Title 39 of the United States Code (Postal Regulations) contains postal regulations for processing mail. 2. Title 40 of the United States Code (Public Buildings, Property and Works), chapter 15 contains regulations on ensuring valuables. 3. Title 41, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 201-6.002 and 201-9.103 (Federal Information Resources Management Regulations) establishes the General Services Administration requirements for minimizing costs associated with operating mail services. 6250.2 - Objective. To provide rapid handling and accurate delivery of mail throughout the Forest Service at a minimum cost. 6250.3 - Policy. 1. Transmit only official mail relating exclusively to Government sanctioned activities. The union (National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)) is authorized to use all U.S. metered mail services, through Forest Service facilities, for representational purposes. 2. Measure work volume and accomplishments for effective cost projections. 3. Transmit mail by the most cost-effective means available to meet reasonable time frames. 4. Meter or stamp all mail. Penalty indicia mail is prohibited. 5. Use the Data General (DG) distributed processing network as the electronic mode of communication in the Forest Service. 6. Maximize cooperation with, and the use of, U.S. Postal Service services. 6250.4 - Responsibility. 6250.41 - Washington Office. 6250.41a - Director, Information Systems Staff. It is the responsibility of the Washington Office, Director of Information Systems to manage the mail system. 6250.41b - Branch Chief, Information Management, Information Systems Staff. The Branch Chief for Information Management, Information Systems Staff, designates a Forest Service Mail Manager responsible for implementing the mail program and providing advice and counsel to field unit Mail Managers. 6250.41c - Forest Service Mail Manager, Information Management Branch, Information Systems Staff. It is the responsibility of the Forest Service Mail Manager to: 1. Set Service-wide standards and policy for mail management. 2. Coordinate the program and provide guidance to ensure cost-effective management. 3. Coordinate payments with the Washington Office, Fiscal and Public Safety Staff for the Washington Office and all units. 6250.41d - Washington Office Mail Manager, Information Systems Staff. In addition to the responsibilities listed for the Unit Mail Manager in FSM 6250.42b, it is the responsibility of the Washington Office Mail Manager to: 1. Ensure that the Forest Service Business Reply Permit remains current. 2. Apply for Presort Permits. 6250.41e - Director, Fiscal and Public Safety Staff. It is the responsibility of the Director of Fiscal and Public Safety to pay the fees for permits charged by the Postal Service and to charge these fees back to the using unit. 6250.42 - Field Units. 6250.42a - Regional Foresters, Station Directors, and Area Director. It is the responsibility of the Regional Foresters, Station Directors, and Area Director to designate a Mail Manager to direct the unit's mail program. 6250.42b - Unit Mail Managers. It is the responsibility of the Unit Mail Manager to monitor the unit's mail system, coordinate the program, and provide guidance to ensure cost-effective management. The Mail Manager has the responsibility to: 1. Apply for the local Business Reply Permit, if utilized. 2. Analyze individual return mail requirements and decide which method best fits the need of the unit. 3. Apply for the Mail Contractor Permit, if needed. 4. Apply for the Postage Meter License. 5. Determine the most cost-effective service for meter use. 6. Contact local Postal Service representatives for assistance in determining foreign mail requirements. (Additional guidance is found in U.S. Postal Service Publication No. 51, "International Postal Rates and Fees.") 6250.5 - Definitions. Electronic Mail. A distributed processing network used to communicate electronically, reducing the need for paper methods of communications. Electronic mail in the Forest Service has two categories: official and informal. Informal Mail. Informal mail is nonrecord official material, such as draft documents, memorandums, messages, information exchange, and copies which do not document how decisions are made. Mail. Letters, postcards, publications, directives, forms, packages, documents, and other material received or designated for distribution or dispatch through hard copy or electronic means. Metered Mail. System whereby each hardcopy mail item is weighed, the correct classification is determined, and the postage is applied or imprinted directly on the envelope, postcard, package, or label which bears the return address of the meter license holder. Official Mail. Matters related solely to official Forest Service sanctioned activities within the agency and to business with individuals, commercial concerns, institutions, and organizations in the management of National Forest System lands, programs, and activities. Mail is designated as official from the time it leaves the agency mailroom with an authorized carrier, until the time it is released at the receiving unit. Official electronic mail is the signed, official record copy of an electronic document. Unofficial Mail. Personal matters not related solely to Government business. Personal matters include, but are not limited to: chain letters; Christmas cards; social functions outside the office; insurance claims; employees' travel payments to Diners Club; and commercial advertisements, sales, and solicitation for products and services. 6251 - MAIL SERVICES. For further Service-wide direction, see FSH 6209.14, Mail Management Handbook, and FSH 6209.12, Correspondence Handbook. For direction specific to the Washington Office, see FSH 6209.21, Office Procedures Handbook, section 622. 6251.04 - Responsibility. It is the responsibility of the Unit Mail Managers to contact and maintain a close working relationship with local postmasters and Postal Service account representatives to ensure maximum use of U.S. Postal Service services and facilities. A major part of mail management in the Forest Service depends on this cooperation. 6251.1 - Agency Procedures. Follow procedures in the Mail Management Handbook, FSH 6209.14, which outlines: 1. The delivery provisions for receiving and depositing mail. 2. Permits required for a metered mail system and for special handling services. 3. Messenger service and interoffice routing of mail. 4. Requirement for processing incoming mail. 5. Outgoing means of transmitting mail for uniform control of classification and use of mechanized and electronic techniques. 6. Metered mail system and payments. 7. Electronic transmission of official and informal mail. 8. Official use of Government mail. 9. Business reply mail and its authorized use. 10. Commercial carriers. 11. Insurance for shipments by the Federal Government. 6252 - ELECTRONIC MAIL. The Data General (DG) distributed processing network is the official electronic communication system for the Forest Service. For electronic mail applications, see the Electronic Office Handbook, FSH 1309.15. 6252.04 - Responsibility. 6252.04a - Washington Office, Director, Information Systems Staff. The Director of Information Systems is responsible for designating an individual in the Information Management Branch to monitor the mailroom inbox for incoming electronic mail. 6252.04b - Regional Foresters, Station Directors, and Area Director. The Regional Foresters, Station Directors, and Area Director are responsible for designating a Mail Manager for their units to monitor the mailroom inbox for incoming electronic mail. 6252.04c - Washington Office and Unit Mail Manager. The Unit Mail Manager is responsible for: 1. Monitoring the mailroom inbox and ensuring that electronic mail is properly and accurately distributed. 2. Accessing the mailroom inbox and forwarding the mail at least as often as paper mail is processed. 3. Ensuring that official mail is processed in accordance with agency policy in FSH 1309.15, Electronic Office Handbook; FSH 6209.11, Records Management Handbook; and FSH 6209.14, Mail Management Handbook. 6252.1 - Electronic Routing. Route official and informal electronic mail by username addresses in a process corresponding to paper mail and by procedures outlined in FSH 1309.15, Electronic Office Handbook. 6252.11 - Official Electronic Mail. Send all official external electronic mail to the receiving office's username inbox for "Mailroom," such as Mailroom:R05A for the Regional Office in San Francisco, CA. The mailroom routes electronic mail to the appropriate staff. Within a unit, route official mail to the staff's username inbox, such as PAO for Public Affairs Office. (For sample routing guides, see FSH 6209.14, sec. 24.2, ex. 01 and 02.) 6252.12 - Informal Electronic Mail. Send all informal mail to the staff's or individual's username inbox, such as J.Haskell:W01B for Jim Haskell in the Washington Office or InS:W01B for the Information Systems Staff in the Washington Office. Informal mail is nonrecord material, equivalent to hard copy speed memorandums, phone messages, draft documents, copies, and information exchange.