Cutting UAA (yellow stickers) in Government Mail
A Holon™ Playbook to Protect Funding, Compliance, and People
by Lori Joyner-Swetlin
Executive summary
Many government programs see 7–10% Undeliverable-As-Addressed (UAA) on critical notices. That burns postage, labor, and worse, causes missed deadlines, procedural terminations, and with the new big beautiful bill —funding risk. USPS network changes have lengthened letter delivery in many lanes, so the old “receive + mail back within 7–10 days” loop often fails.
Holon™ approach: Treat each step as a part-within-a-whole—Intake, Composition, Address Hygiene, Sortation, Print/Digital Output, Finishing, Distribution, Feedback—and wire them to learn from each other. Combine IMb® scan intelligence with Smart Codes (QR tokens) so each letter can trigger a secure, case-bound mobile upload, turning exceptions into prevention.
What you get in 90 days
Automatic address corrections flowing from NCOALink® (48-month where permissible), ACS™, and IMb® scans
“Live-in” confidence: deliverable and the person still lives there (DPV + COA + first-party activity + permitted private corroboration)
Secondary-unit enforcement to prevent “missing APT/SUITE” UAAs
Smart Code uploads so recipients respond the day they read the letter—no return envelope needed
Data governance aligned to the Federal Data Strategy (ethical governance, conscious design, learning culture)
Why UAA is spiking
Secondary-unit strictness: If an APT/STE is required and missing, carriers aren’t expected to guess. Retirement and route switches are high, we can’t count on carrier knowledge to get a mail piece to its final destination if it isn’t addressed correctly.
Operational pressure: Fewer ad-hoc fixes; standards dominate. Carriers are timed for efficiency.
Program exposure: Can’t reach people → missed compliance deadlines → avoidable churn and cost.
The Holon™ workflow (8 parts that learn together)
1) Intake * The Gateway
Capture complete, validated addresses (APT/STE/UNIT), phone/email with consent, and source-of-truth + provenance. Enforce multi-unit capture when DPV flags it. Add address correction services to web portals, forms, IVR, and agent desktops. Get it right up front.
2) Composition * The Shape-Shifter
Personalize letters and compose a Smart Code that deep-links to the case (“Scan to upload / confirm / pay”). Build digital + physical versions at the same time and route by preference and policy (email/SMS/portal + USPS letter with IMb® to enable tracking via Informed Visibility®).
3) Address Hygiene * The Accuracy Guardian
Two questions:
A) Deliverable? Run CASS/DPV down to secondary units.
B) “Live-in”? Use NCOALink® (up to 48 months where allowed), ACS™ reason codes, and permitted private corroboration. Elevate first-party signals (returns, portal updates, authenticated calls) as authoritative. The data owner retains responsibility for updates—don’t rely on presort partners to write back address changes.
Policy detail: Enforce Pub 28 secondary-unit capture in portals/IVR/agent scripts for addresses known to require it.
4) Sortation * The Postal Strategist
Select the correct STID in the IMb® to enable the ACS™ option you want (electronic, no paper). Where eligible and enrolled, use USPS Secure Destruction for returned pieces that would otherwise be routed back physically.
5) Print/Digital Output * The Decision Point
Default to hybrid outreach where allowed. Bind the piece to the case with machine-readable codes for inserting and inbound automation. Print near destination (distributed print / drop-ship) to reduce in-mail time. Track USPS promotions for potential 4–7% postage savings when applicable (e.g., Informed Delivery®).
6) Finishing * The Closer
Ensure IMb® on every piece (and on return vehicles like BRE/BRM when used). Add clear APT/STE REQUIRED prompts when data flags multi-unit risk. Expose mailing reports/feeds to operations and caseworkers.
7) Distribution * The Mover
Monitor via Informed Visibility®; predict returns and trigger proactive steps. For high-risk items (cards, checks, EOBs), send “check your mailbox” notices via email/SMS to reduce fraud and improve satisfaction.
8) Feedback * The Learning Engine
Convert ACS™, IV scans, Smart Code uploads, portal updates, and call-center notes into events that flow back to Intake and auto-sync into CRM/case/print systems. Build near-real-time views for client services. Create automations based on reason codes (vacant, deceased, forwardable).
Smart Codes: binding letters to secure responses
IMb® ties USPS events (delivery/return/ACS™) to the exact record.
QR Smart Code = secure token + deep link to the case page. Recipient scans → uploads proof → content ingests directly to the system of record (e.g., OnBase) with the right case key—no mail-back delay, no manual matching.
Timing reality under DFA
More First-Class letters move on ground transportation, often adding days vs. prior norms. A fixed 7–10-day mail-back window is frequently unworkable—Smart Code mobile uploads compress the cycle to same day.
First-party data (mission-critical)
Definition: Data you collect directly (applications, portals, transactions, call notes, returned-mail handling, in-person attestations) with notice and consent.
*Why it wins: Most accurate and timely, aligns with privacy expectations, and maps cleanly to governance.
*Use it to power “Live-in” decisions: Formalize rules (e.g., portal update > third-party hint) and push updates everywhere via events/APIs.
90-day quick wins
Stand up an exception queue wired to ACS™ + IMb® events; propose address updates before the next batch.
Enforce secondary units at intake and with agents/IVR when DPV requires it.
Enable NCOALink® 48-month where policy permits.
Add Smart Codes to time-sensitive letters (proof requests, renewals, adverse actions).
Publish plain-language, multilingual instructions: “If you can’t mail in time, scan the Smart Code to upload.”
Business case (10,000 notices @ 7% UAA)
Returns: 700
Hard dollar cost ($3.00): $2,100
Soft cost (call center calls, appointment misses, folks in fear… ($5.00): $3,500
Total avoidable cost: $5,600 per 10k
Redirect those dollars to automation + address governance—the ROI is immediate.
Track 5 KPIs
UAA rate (target: >50% reduction in 90 days)
Days-to-proof (target: same-day via Smart Code)
% addresses with “Live-in” confidence score above threshold
% letters with proper STID/ACS enabled
% notices with Smart Codes enabled
Governance, privacy, accessibility
Roles & RACI: Program Owner, Mail Ops, Data Governance, Security/Privacy Officer, IT, Vendor(s).
Controls: Data minimization, consent capture, role-based access, audit trail, retention, breach handling.
Frameworks: Align to the Federal Data Strategy; adopt NIST-style control families where appropriate.
Accessibility: Section 508 compliant PDFs/HTML; plain language; language access for LEP populations.
Appendix A — Address-change rules (quick reference)
May change when: (1) First-party notice (signed form, portal update, authenticated call/visit, Smart-Code upload); (2) USPS-sourced updates (NCOALink®, ACS™); (3) Program-defined reliable sources (e.g., MCO/provider feed where policy allows); (4) Organizational redirects for internal delivery.
Must not change when: Unauthenticated request; removing required secondary unit; low-confidence third-party only; policy requires client confirmation.
Capture for audit: Who/when/how; evidence (forms, recordings, portal events, Smart-Code token); USPS files (NCOA/ACS™); rule/approval; downstream sync.
“Live-in” checklist: CASS/DPV valid; APT/STE enforced; NCOALink® + ACS™ checked; first-party signals present; private corroboration (where permitted).
