US mail (Credit: LevittownNow)
Pennsylvania has terminated a mail-processing vendor after the company failed to deliver approximately 2.7 million pieces of state agency mail to the U.S. Postal Service over a month-long period.
The impacted mail, which included correspondence for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Pennslyvania, was never presorted or delivered by the Harrisburg-based Capitol Presort Services LLC between Nov. 3 and Dec. 3, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The state fired the vendor last week upon discovering the failure to fulfill its contract.
“Capitol Presort previously handled outbound mail for multiple commonwealth agencies under an enterprise-wide contract,” Paul Vezzetti, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, told this news organization “The backlog included routine correspondence such as renewal notices, program notices, and other standard agency mailings.”
The state secured a $1 million emergency contract with a new vendor, Pitney Bowes, to resolve the snail mail backlog.
On Monday, Dec. 8, Pitney Bowes transported all recently discovered unsent mail to the USPS, according to Vezzetti.
“Most of the outgoing mail has already been delivered to USPS—and any remaining mail will all be delivered to USPS by the end of the week, and then subsequently delivered to Pennsylvanians,” Vezzetti said.
PennDOT mail was a significant part of the backlog, largely impacting driver’s license and vehicle registration renewal invitations, driver’s license camera cards, vehicle registration cards, and address update cards.
Customers affected by the PennDOT delay should receive their expected mail within the next seven to 10 days, Vezzetti said.
The state spokesperson noted that certain critical and time-sensitive PennDOT mailings were not impacted, including driver’s license suspensions.
PennDOT renewal invitations are sent three months in advance, meaning residents who were due to receive mail in early November will have until February to submit their renewal, Vezzetti explained.
“For customers whose vehicle registration, non-commercial driver license, or identification card are expiring soon, they do not need to wait to receive their renewal reminders and can renew online,” Vezzetti added.
Some mail for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services was also impacted, but certain essential Pennsylvania Department of Human Services services were uninterrupted, including the mailing of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, correspondence sent directly from county assistance offices, and notices about suspended benefits during the federal government shutdown, officials said.
Capitol Presort Services, which had been under contract with the state since May 1, 2021, was responsible for delivering more than 16 million pieces of state agency mail annually. The company had previously filed for bankruptcy in 2022, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
State officials have not yet clarified why it several weeks for the lack of mail delivery to be discovered.
“Agencies across the Commonwealth continue to evaluate any potential effects of this mail delay and are taking proactive steps to mitigate potential impacts on Pennsylvanians,” Vezzetti said.
