New Season, New Successes for GSA/USPS USAccess Pilot Program!

By: USAccess Managed Service Office (reprinted with permission)

Great news on our work with the United States Postal Service (USPS). All 120+ USAccess Agencies commissions and boards participated in the USAccess Pilot. We completed 11,265 appointments with a 91% customer satisfaction rate.

The Pilot allows federal employees to obtain new or updated credentials at seven Post Office® sites. It began November 2020 and was extended to May 5, 2021.

Now that the Pilot has concluded, the General Services Administration (GSA) and USPS are moving forward with a transition period of up to 90 days during which the Pilot sites will be operationalized to become part of the USAccess footprint. During the transition period, all seven sites will continue to be available for credentialing appointments.

Since the release of the last Blog, here’s what USAccess Pilot users are saying:

• Merrifield (VA) Post Office: “This location was excellent in every way. Great customer service and on time. I am grateful to have a location close to me.” – U.S. Dept. of Energy employee
• Ben Franklin (DC) Post Office: “I would like to commend the person that handled my case at Benjamin Franklin PO. She was very professional, efficient, and made the entire process a pleasant experience.” – GSA employee
• Herndon (VA) Post Office: “This is a great idea. I recommend expanding this approach…Actions at the post office were seamless. I arrived early, was seen immediately, and was done very quickly.” – U.S. Dept. of Agriculture employee

What’s Next

GSA and USPS are fully focused on the road ahead: developing a roadmap to operationalize the Pilot sites and potentially expand the Credentialing Post Office- Sites (CPOSs) across the U.S. The CPOSs are the first initiative under USAccess’ objective to innovate its Federal PIV credentialing. Additional focus areas include:

• Transforming USAccess’ digital delivery of credentials
• Expanding shared services models
• Lowering the cost to Government by building shared services

Final thoughts from GSA and USPS Leadership

Representatives from both organizations are pleased at the Pilot’s success and look forward to further collaboration.

Darlene Gore, GSA Identity Credential and Access Management Division Director: “The Pilot has exceeded our expectations. The main goal for the Pilot was to explore alternative options for continuing the PIV issuance through Post Offices. We learned that the Postal Service option enhanced efficiency and overall customer experience. Looking ahead, USAccess is exploring standalone enrollment services that will standardize enrollment processes across the federal government. By adding Post Office locations across the country, we will increase the ease of the service and extend the service geographical footprint.

Jeff Tackes, USPS Director of Digital Business Services: “This Pilot is an excellent example of the Postal Service’s reach and trusted brand combined with USAccess’ established credentialing expertise and shared services experience. It creates a win-win for accessible government services.”

Visit our website to learn more:  https://www.fedidcard.gov/usaccess-point

Special thanks to the U.S. General Services Administration GSABlog for allowing the reprint of this article in its entirety.