5788 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

§ 21.7131 Commencing dates.

* * * * *

(l) Eligibility established under

§ 21.7042 (a)(7) or (b)(10). This

paragraph must be used to establish the

effective date of an award of educational

assistance when the veteran or

servicemember has established

eligibility under either § 21.7042 (a)(7)

or (b)(10). The commencing date of an

award of educational assistance for such

a veteran or servicemember is the latest

of the following:

(1) The commencing date as

determined by paragraphs (a) through

(c) and (f) through (j) of this section;

(2) The date of election provided

that—

(i) The servicemember initiated the

$1,200 reduction in basic pay required

by § 21.7042(g)(4) and the full $1,200

was collected through that pay

reduction;

(ii) Within one year of the date of

election VA both collected from the

veteran $1,200 or the difference between

$1,200 and the amount collected

through a reduction in the veteran’s

military pay, as provided in

§ 21.7042(g)(4), and received from the

veteran any other evidence necessary to

establish a valid election; or

(iii) VA received from the veteran

$1,200 or the difference between $1,200

and the amount collected through a

reduction in the veteran’s military pay

and any other evidence necessary to

establish a valid election within one

year of the date VA requested the money

and/or the evidence.

(3) If applicable, the date VA collected

the difference between $1,200 and the

amount by which the servicemember’s

military pay was reduced, if the

provisions of paragraph (l)(2)(ii) or

(l)(2)(iii) of this section are not met; or

(4) If applicable, the date VA collected

$1,200, if the provisions of paragraph

(l)(2)(ii) or (l)(2)(iii) of this section are

not met.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 5113; sec. 107, Pub. L.

104–275, 110 Stat. 3329–3330)

(m) Eligibility established under

21.7045(d). This paragraph must be

used to establish the effective date of an

award of educational assistance when

the veteran or servicemember has

established eligibility under

§ 21.7045(d). The commencing date of

an award of educational assistance for

such a veteran or servicemember is the

latest of the following:

(1) The commencing date as

determined by paragraphs (a) through

(c) and (f) through (j) of this section;

(2) The date of election provided

that—

(i) The servicemember initiated the

$1,200 reduction in basic pay required

by § 21.7045(d)(3) and the full $1,200

was collected through that pay

reduction;

(ii) Within one year of the date of

election VA both collected from the

veteran $1,200 or the difference between

$1,200 and the amount collected

through a reduction in the veteran’s

military pay, as provided in

§ 21.7045(d)(3), and received from the

veteran any other evidence necessary to

establish a valid election; or

(iii) VA received from the veteran

$1,200 or the difference between $1,200

and the amount collected through a

reduction in the veteran’s military pay

and any other evidence necessary to

establish a valid election within one

year of the date VA requested the money

and/or the evidence.

(3) If applicable, the date VA collected

the difference between $1,200 and the

amount by which the servicemember’s

military pay was reduced, if the

provisions of paragraph (m)(2)(ii) or

(m)(2)(iii) of this section are not met; or

(4) If applicable, the date VA collected

$1,200, if the provisions of paragraph

(m)(2)(ii) or (m)(2)(iii) of this section are

not met.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3018C(a), (b), 5113)

(The Office of Management and Budget has

approved information collection

requirements in this section under control

number 2900–0607.)

Subpart L—Educational Assistance for

Members of the Selected Reserve

13. The authority citation for part 21,

subpart L is revised to read as follows:

Authority: 10 U.S.C. ch. 1606; 38 U.S.C.

501(a), 512, ch. 36, unless otherwise noted.

14. In § 21.7520, paragraph (b)(23)(iv)

is amended by removing ‘‘during the

period beginning on November 2, 1994,

and ending on September 30, 1996,’’;

and the authority citation for paragraph

(b)(23) is revised to read as follows:

§ 21.7520 Definitions.

* * * * *

(b) * * *

(23) * * *

(Authority: 10 U.S.C. 16131(a), (c); 38 U.S.C.

3002, 3452)

* * * * *

15. In § 21.7635, paragraph (y) is

redesignated as paragraph (z); and a new

paragraph (y) is added, to read as

follows:

§ 21.7635 Discontinuance dates.

* * * * *

(y) Election to receive educational

assistance under 38 U.S.C. chapter 30.

VA shall terminate educational

assistance effective the first date for

which the reservist received educational

assistance when—

(1) The service that formed a basis for

establishing eligibility for educational

assistance under 10 U.S.C. chapter 1606

included a period of active duty as

described in § 21.7020(b)(1)(iv); and

(2) The reservist subsequently made

an election, as described in

§ 21.7042(a)(7) or (b)(10), to become

entitled to basic educational assistance

under 38 U.S.C. chapter 30.

(Authority: Sec. 107, Pub. L. 104–275, 110

Stat. 3329–3330)

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 00–2637 Filed 2–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P

POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 111

Domestic Mail Manual Changes to

Processing Instructions for

Nonautomation Mail and Revisions to

Letter Tray Labels

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Final Rule.

SUMMARY: This final rule revises

Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) sections

M130 and M610 with amendments to

optional processing instructions for

nonautomation mail. New standards

provide a means for mailers to exclude

their letter-size mail from any

automated processing involved with

initial distribution of mail, including

tabbing and labeling machines, barcode

sorters, and optical character readers.

This final rule also revises DMM section

M013, with inclusion of an optional

endorsement line, ‘‘MANUAL ONLY,’’

and section M032, with changes to the

second line of tray labels for Presorted

First-Class Mail letters and Presorted

Standard Mail (A) letters.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jamie Gallagher, (202) 268–4031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

October 25, 1999, the Postal Service

published for public comment in the

Federal Register a proposed rule (FR 64

57419–57421) that expanded provisions

for mailers who wanted nonautomated

(manual) processsing and revised Line 2

of letter tray labels for First-Class Mail

and Standard Mail (A). The Postal

Service also invited comments on the

proposed rule from interested parties

and accepted comments until December

9, 1999. This final rule contains the

DMM standards adopted by the Postal

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 5789

Service after review of the comments

that were submitted.

Evaluation of Comments Received

The Postal Service received eight

pieces of correspondence offering

comments on the October 25 proposed

rule. Respondents included major

mailing associations, large business

mailers, and mailing agents.

Based on additional costs expected to

be incurred by mailers, four commenters

objected to the use of facing slips on

package bundles. An alternative to

facing slips was proposed by two other

commenters who suggested the use of

optional endorsement lines with ‘‘DO

NOT AUTOMATE’’ printed on

mailpieces. For package identification of

letter-size mail, the use of optional

endorsement lines will be added to the

DMM revisions. Mailers must use either

facing slips or optional endorsement

lines printed with ‘‘MANUAL ONLY’’

on all required bundles that are to be

excluded from automated processing.

Three commenters objected to postal

tabbing, claiming that marketing

effectiveness could be compromised.

Similarly challenged was the right of the

Postal Service to change the physical

properties of a mailpiece. However,

according to the view of the Postal

Service’s General Counsel, the legal

authority to make reasonable alterations

to mailpieces in order to facilitate

processing of the mail is implied within

the Postal Service’s express authority to

provide for an efficient system of sorting

and delivery of the mail. Tabbing by the

Postal Service, placing labels on

mailpieces, and spraying barcodes on

letters are included in the Postal

Service’s authority to exercise powers

incidental, necessary, or appropriate to

the performance of its assigned

functions.

One commenter noted problems from

postal labeling when information on

Standard Mail (A) carrier route pieces

had been covered by LMLM (letter mail

labeling machine) labels. This

commenter suggested adding carrier

route mail to the category of mailings

that could be excluded from automated

processing. This proposal will be

deferred for publication and comment

in the Federal Register at a later time.

Processing letter-size mail has been

revolutionized during the past decade as

the Postal Service deployed a network

of automated equipment. Optical

character readers, barcode sorters,

tabbing machines, and labeling

machines are among the pieces of

automated equipment currently used to

process mail. Today’s infrastructure

provides many efficiencies which

contribute to holding postage rates

down. Nationally, the average cost for a

postal plant to process 1,000 letters

through automation is around $5.

Manual sortation, the alternative, costs

the Postal Service nearly $60 per 1,000

letters.

In an effort to minimize more costly

and slower manual processing, the

Postal Service will attempt to sort

machineable pieces through automation.

Letter-size mailpieces, for which an

automated postage rate has not been

paid, are considered potentially

upgradeable and subject to automated

processing. Even though 95 percent of

letter-size mail is processed through

automation, some mailers prefer to have

their mailpieces sorted manually. New

processing instructions will provide a

means for mailers to indicate if

presorted pieces should be processed

exclusively by manual operations. To

maintain the handling request through

downstream postal processes, mailers

must use facing slips or optional

endorsement lines with ‘‘Manual Only’’

applied to required packages.

Additionally, letter tray labels for FirstClass Mail and Standard Mail (A) are

revised, with Line 2 reflecting new

information.

The Domestic Mail Manual is revised

as follows. These changes are

incorporated by reference in the Code of

Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR part

111.

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111

Postal Service.

PART 111—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for 39 CFR

part 111 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5552(a): 39 U.S.C. 101,

401, 403, 404, 414, 3001–3011, 3201–3219,

3403–3406, 3621, 3626, 5001.

2. Revise the following sections of the

Domestic Mail Manual as set forth

below:

M Mail Preparation and Sortation

M000 General Preparation Standards

M010 Mailpieces

* * * * *

M013 Optional Endorsement Lines

1.0 USE

1.1 Basic Standards

* * * * *

[Add a new category with the following

Sortation Levels and OEL examples to

end of table.]

Optional Tray Level for Manual

Processing:

5-digit—5-DIGIT 23456 MANUAL

ONLY

3-digit—3-DIGIT 090 MANUAL ONLY

ADC (3-digit ZIP Code Prefix)—ALL

FOR ADC 103 MANUAL ONLY

ADC (5-digit ZIP Code)—ALL FOR ADC

98765 MANUAL ONLY

Mixed ADC (3-digit ZIP Code prefix)—

MIXED ADC 630 MANUAL ONLY

Mixed ADC (5-digit ZIP Code)—MIXED

ADC 12345 MANUAL ONLY

* * * * *

M030 Containers

* * * * *

M032 Barcoded Labels

* * * * *

[Amend Exhibit 1.3a as follows:]

5790 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

EXHIBIT 1.3A.—3-DIGIT CONTENT IDENTIFIER NUMBERS

Class and mailing CIN Human-readable content line

FIRST-CLASS MAIL

FCM Letters—Presorted (Basic Preparation)

[Revise the following CIN and human-readable content lines:]

5-digit trays .......................................... 250 FCM LTRS 5D NON BC.

3-digit trays .......................................... 253 FCM LTRS 3D NON BC.

ADC trays ............................................ 256 FCM LTRS ADC NON BC.

mixed ADC trays ................................. 259 FCM LTRS NON BC WKG.

[Add a new category:]

FCM Letters—Presorted (Nonautomation Processing)

5-digit trays .......................................... 267 FCM LTRS 5D MANUAL.

all other required trays ........................ 268 FCM LTRS MANUAL ONLY.

STANDARD MAIL (A)

STD Letters—Presorted (Basic Preparation)

[Revise the following CIN and human-readable content lines:]

5-digit trays .......................................... 550 STD LTRS 5D NON BC.

3-digit trays .......................................... 553 STD LTRS 3D NON BC.

ADC trays ............................................ 556 STD LTRS ADC NON BC.

mixed ADC trays ................................. 559 STD LTRS NON BC WKG.

[Add a new category:]

STD Letters—Presorted (Nonautomation Processing)

5-digit trays .......................................... 604 STD LTRS 5D MANUAL.

all other required trays ........................ 605 STD LTRS MANUAL ONLY.

* * * * *

M100 First-Class Mail (Nonautomation)

* * * * *

M130 Presorted First-Class Mail

1.0 BASIC STANDARDS

* * * * *

1.5 Processing Instructions

[Revise 1.5 to read as follows:]

If a mailer prefers that the USPS not

automate letter-size pieces presented at

Presorted rates, then the mailer must

use the Line 2 tray label information in

2.4. The mailer must prepare all

required trays in 2.2.

2.0 REQUIRED PREPARATION—

LETTER- AND CARD-SIZED PIECES

* * * * *

[Revise 2.3 to read as follows:]

2.3 Tray Line 2

Line 2:

a. 5-digit: ‘‘FCM LTRS 5D NON BC.’’

b. 3-digit: ‘‘FCM LTRS 3D NON BC.’’

c. ADC: ‘‘FCM LTRS ADC NON BC.’’

d. Mixed ADC: ‘‘FCM LTRS NON BC

WKG.’’

[Add new 2.4 and 2.5 to read as

follows:]

2.4 Optional Tray Line 2

For trays that mailers do not want

automated under 1.5:

a. 5-digit: ‘‘FCM LTRS 5D MANUAL.’’

b. All other required trays: ‘‘FCM

LTRS MANUAL ONLY.’’

2.5 Package Identification

Required 5-digit, 3-digit, ADC, and

mixed ADC packages must be identified

with facing slips on which ‘‘MANUAL

ONLY’’ is printed or with optional

endorsement lines under M013.

* * * * *

M600 Standard Mail (Nonautomation)

M610 Presorted Standard Mail (A)

1.0 BASIC STANDARDS

* * * * *

1.4 Processing Instructions

[Revise 1.4 to read as follows:]

If a mailer prefers that the USPS not

automate letter-size pieces presented at

Presorted rates, then the mailer must

use the Line 2 tray label information in

2.4. The mailer must prepare all

required trays in 2.2.

2.0 REQUIRED PREPARATION—

LETTER- AND CARD-SIZED PIECES

* * * * *

[Revise 2.3 to read as follows:]

2.3 Tray Line 2

Line 2:

a. 5-digit: ‘‘STD LTRS 5D NON BC.’’

b. 3-digit: ‘‘STD LTRS 3D NON BC.’’

c. ADC: ‘‘STD LTRS ADC NON BC.’’

d. Mixed ADC: ‘‘STD LTRS NON BC

WKG.’’

[Add new 2.4 and 2.5 to read as

follows:]

2.4 Optional Tray Line 2

For trays that mailers do not want

automated under 1.5:

a. 5-digit: ‘‘STD LTRS 5D MANUAL.’’

b. All other required trays: ‘‘STD

LTRS MANUAL ONLY.’’

2.5 Package Identification

Required 5-digit, 3-digit, ADC, and

mixed ADC packages must be identified

with facing slips on which ‘‘MANUAL

ONLY’’is printed or with optional

endorsement lines under M013.

* * * * *

[An appropriate amendment to 39

CFR 111.3 will be published to reflect

these changes.]

Stanley F. Mires,

Chief Counsel, Legislative.

[FR Doc. 00–2604 Filed 2–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7710–12–P