4-4.28 Administrative Appeals

1. General. Adverse decisions (see 4-4.26.c.) of the Postal Service or the Postal Inspection Service may be appealed to the General Counsel.
2. Time Limit. To be considered timely, the appeal must be postmarked or, in the case of electronic submissions, transmitted within 90 calendar days after the date of the response, or within a reasonable time if the appeal is from a failure of the custodian to act. The General Counsel may, in his or her discretion, consider late appeals.
3. Form and Manner of Submission. The appeal must be in writing and must be addressed to the General Counsel, United States Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-1101 or sent by email to FOIAAppeal@usps.gov.
4. Required Appeal Elements. The appeal must include, as applicable:
1. A copy of the request, of any notification of denial or other action, and of any other related correspondence;
2. The FOIA tracking number assigned to the request;
3. A statement of the action, or failure to act, from which the appeal is taken;
4. A statement identifying the specific redactions to responsive records that the requester is challenging;
5. A statement of the relief sought; and
6. A statement of the reasons why the requester believes the action or failure to act is erroneous.
5. Final Decision. The decision of the General Counsel constitutes the final decision of the Postal Service.