USPS Mail Delays Are Causing Major Problems for State and Local Agencies in California

Recent mail delays due to major operational changes in the U.S. Postal Service have been particularly problematic for the many state and local agencies in California that have had to rely heavily on traditional mail during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This summer, the USPS removed mail sorting machines, imposed limits on overtime work for employees and cut hours at post offices across the country. After significant pressure, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is a major donor to President Trump, announced he would adjust some of those new policies and procedures. Yet it remains unclear what he plans to do about the changes already made.

Since then, four local state agencies in California joined a group of other states this week in signing onto a preliminary injunction hoping to force DeJoy to fully reverse his overhaul of the agency, which they maintain has caused delays and disruptions to service across the country.

Among those is the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, which runs an automated prescription refill service that during the COVID-19 pandemic is operating mostly through the mail. The agency has come to rely even more on regular mail delivery to get patients medication during the pandemic. Over 70% of its patients now receive medication by mail, mostly for chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Some have reported three-week wait times for refills. Before the USPS policy changes, patients could expect mailed prescriptions to arrive in just a few days, according to the agency.

“These delays have significantly impacted the health and safety of our patients,” an LACDHS spokesperson wrote in an email. Since then, the agency has started to use private shipping companies like FedEx for faster service, which it says is more expensive.

The delays have also made it harder for many state agency employees to get their jobs done. Officials at the state Department of Conservation said that equipment sent through overnight delivery to staff members to allow them to work from home arrived 11 days later.

Mail delays have also caused such unreliable service that the department has overhauled its process for managing disciplinary hearings: Instead of sending notices through the mail, legal staff are now notifying employees by phone.

“It’s a waste of time and resources for legal staff,” Clayton Haas, assistant director of the Department of Conservation, wrote in a court declaration.

In another declaration, the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency said it has also been hindered by mail delays in the hearing notices, documentary evidence and settlement agreements it sends out, with many documents arriving too late to be useful.

Additionally, workers and employees who have filed appeals with the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Boards reported receiving notices of a scheduled hearing just a day prior to the hearing, and in some cases, the day of, or even after the hearing — even though though agency requires such notices be mailed at least 10 days before a hearing.

It’s a similar story at the state Department of Consumer Affairs, which issues licenses to people looking to work or open businesses that require state certification in industries like real estate, cosmetology and cannabis. Since July, exam scheduling letters, licenses and other paperwork have been delayed by weeks or lost altogether, making it slower and more difficult for people to get the paperwork they need.

The agency also investigates consumer complaints against businesses, which have also been delayed.

“The DCA has the responsibility to protect consumers. That function will become more difficult due to USPS delays,” Kimberly Kirchmeyer, director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, wrote in that agency’s declaration.