# Presentation: 145830

## Pricing and Classification Service Center

**Periodicals Focus Group**
**July 10,2008**
**Greg Hall, Manager**

## Established November 2004
Centralized all former RCSC & NSC functions
Located in New York City
Improved quality and consistency of decisions
Improved customer service

**Centralized all former RCSC & NSC functions**
**Located in New York City**
**Improved quality and consistency of decisions**
**Improved customer service**

**Pricing and Classification Service Center**

**Notes:**
Effective November 27, 2004, the Postal Service established the Pricing and Classification Service Center (PCSC) in New York.
The service center assumed the duties and areas formerly covered by the New York, Chicago, and San Francisco Rates and Classification Service Centers, and the Memphis Nonprofit Service Center. 
Purpose for consolidation was to improve the quality and consistency of decisions and customer assistance.

## PCSC Staff

**Greg Hall – Manager, PCSC**
**Bob Bokor – Manager, Mail Classification**
**VACANT – Manager, National Customer Rulings**
**15 Classification Specialists**
**Nonprofit Team**
** ****4  Administrative Personnel**

## Customers and Responsibilities

**Mailability Questions**
**Rulings/Appeals**
**Exception Requests**
**Refund Requests**

**PCSC**

**District Business Mail Entry Office**

**Local Mailers and Mail Owners**

***    ******...and other  duties as needed!!!***

**Hazardous Materials**
**Periodicals Authorization**
**Nonprofit Authorization**

***National Customers ***
***   ******NCR Program***

**Notes:**
One of our primary customers is the District Business Mail Entry office and the staff there: the Manager, Business Mail Entry, BME Supervisors, Mailing Requirements Clerks and Mailpiece Design Analysts. And since their primary customers are mailers like you, you are ultimately our customers.  We provide day to day support to them, and to you, on many of the following issues:

Mailability questions
Classification rulings and appeals
Exceptions to DMM Standards
Refund requests
Hazardous materials

We are also the office that reviews and approves applications to mail at Periodicals and Nonprofit prices, as well as additional entries.

And, we work with National Customers through our NCR program, which we will talk about later.

## Authorization of Applications for Periodicals Privileges
Additional Entries/Re-entries
Corrective actions to Authorization records
Questions regarding Periodicals Eligibility
Participation on Periodicals Advisory Committee
New Launch Procedure

**Additional Entries/Re-entries**
**Corrective actions to Authorization records**
**Questions regarding Periodicals Eligibility**
**Participation on Periodicals Advisory Committee**
**New Launch Procedure**

**Serving Periodicals Customers**

## Most contact through your local Manager, Business Mail Entry
Form 3500
Form 3510
General Questions
PCSC link on Postal Explorer
Main number for PCSC – 212/330-5300
Email – pcsc@usps.gov

**Form 3500**
**Form 3510**
**General Questions**
**PCSC link on Postal Explorer**
**Main number for PCSC – 212/330-5300**
**Email – pcsc@usps.gov**

**Contacting the PCSC**

## Postal Explorer  (http://pe.usps.com)

** **

**http://pe.usps.com**

**Email to dmmadvisory@usps.com**

**Notes:**
The PCSC, as well as the local offices, use the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service (a.k.a., the Domestic Mail Manual) as a basis for our decisions and our day to day activities. 

CLICK FOR ANIMATION

The DMM and other useful references and resources can be found online on Postal Explorer.

Also, I would like to point out a message board that is available on PE – the DMM Advisory

## Statement of Ownership, Management,  and CirculationPS Form 3526 or 3526RSubmission, Publishing, &  Line ItemsChuck Tricamo   

## PS Form 3526 or 3526 R - Submission

**PS Form 3526 or 3526R– Statement of Ownership Management and Circulation (September 2007) **
**Must be submitted to USPS Original Entry Office by October 1**
**If not submitted by October 1 will be notified by USPS**
**If do not comply within 10 days Periodicals mailing privileges suspended until compliance**
** **

## PS Form 3526 or 3526 R - Publish

**General and Requester publications must publish **
**	****     **_**Frequency**_**                                                  **_**Issue Produced**_
**   ****DAILY/ SEMI-WEEKLY                                     Prior to October 10**
**   ****WEEKLY/SEMI-MONTHLY/BI-WEEKLY          Prior to October 31**
**   ****MONTHLY/BI-MONTHLY/QUARTERLY      First issue after October 1**
**Need authorization to use facsimile (Approval by Original Entry Post Office)**
**Notified by USPS if not published in applicable issue **
**If noncompliant after 10 days - Periodicals mailing privileges suspended until you comply**
** **

## Line Items on PS Form 3526

**B1 is Mailed Outside County Paid Subscription Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 = **
**   ****Qualified Subscribers mailed thru USPS denoted on PS Form 3541 Outside County Section (Mainfile & Supplemental/Backstarts mailings if mailed at time of submission of statement) **
**B2 is Mailed In-County Paid Subscription Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 =**
**   ****Qualified Subscribers mailed thru USPS denoted on PS Form 3541 In-County Section (Mainfile & Supplemental/Backstarts mailings if mailed at time of submission of statement****)**
** **

## Line Items on PS Form 3526

**B3 is Paid Distribution Outside the Mails = **
**   ****Paid copies not mailed thru the USPS (e.g. Newsstands, single copy sales, remailers, private delivery, etc.) **
**B4 is Mailed In-County Paid Subscription Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 =**
**   ****Paid distribution mailed thru USPS by other classes besides Periodicals (First-Class or International) **
** **

## Line Items on PS Form 3526

**D1 is Free or Nominal Price Outside County Copies  Stated on PS Form 3541 = **
**	****Non-subscriber (Free or nominal price) copies mailed thru USPS denoted on PS Form 3541 Outside County Section  **
**D2 is Free or Nominal Mailed In-County Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 =**
**   ****Non-subscriber copies (Free or Nominal) mailed thru USPS denoted on PS Form 3541 In-County Section**
** **

## Line Items on PS Form 3526

**D3 Free or Nominal Copies Mailed at Other Classes Thru USPS = **
**	****Free or sample copies mailed thru USPS by other classes besides Periodicals (First-Class Mail or International) **
**D4 is Free or Nominal Copies Distributed Outside the Mails =**
**   ****Free or sample copies not mailed thru the USPS (e.g. Newsstands, single copy sales, remailers, private delivery, etc.) **

## Line Items on PS Form 3526R

**3526R for Requester Category Periodicals Publications**
**Basically Same Line Items as 3526**
**Differences are that any paid copy, no matter what price paid for, counts in Qualified Paid and/or Requested copy**
**Non-Requested Copies are Considered “non-eligible” requesters when they are distributed free (e.g. requests with premium offers,  3-year expired requests, etc.)**
**  **

## Line Items on PS Form 3526

_**One important item concerning copy distribution where**_
_**the same copies maybe on two line items on the Form**_
_**3526**_
**In the example of newsstand copies that are mailed to**
**retailers at Periodicals prices and submitted on PS Form**
**3541.  **
**Copies technically would be on Line B1 & also B3**
**Do not put in line item B1 (Subscriber 3541 copies), place in Line item B3 (Paid Distribution through dealers, etc.  **
**Submit a letter with the Form 3526 stating that these (number of copies) copies were also mailed at Periodicals prices on 3541. **

## QUESTIONS 

**  **_**Questions about anything in this presentation and any question about where to place a copy you print, on the  3526. **_