December 11, 2001- Yahoo Peace Corps: Prospective PCVs experience problems getting mail to PC/Washington
Peace Corps Online:
Peace Corps News:
Headlines:
Peace Corps Headlines - 2001:
12 December 2001 Peace Corps Headlines:
December 11, 2001- Yahoo Peace Corps: Prospective PCVs experience problems getting mail to PC/Washington
Read the posts off the Yahoo Peace Corps Message Board on problems in submitting peace corps applications to PC/Washington through the US Mail at:
Peace Corps Yahoo Club
First Message:
Quote:It sounds like a lot of mail has gotten misplaced on the way to the Peace Corps lately. Is that because of the Anthrax scare?
I would spend the extra money to fax correspondence and fed ex important papers to the Peace Corps office.
Next Message:
Quote:I'm off to Niger in January and just found out that my visa application didn't make it either. And I even asked if I should FedEx it the first time I sent it! They assured me it shouldn't be a problem (they already have my passport).
Next Message:
Quote:Thanks for the warning, I emailed my country desk about it. Also, anyone who sent ANYTHING to the Peace Corps in October should check and make sure they got it. All of my dental info. is sitting in a warehouse in New Jersey somewhere and the Peace Corps doesn't know if or when that mail will be released. And guess what? I didn't make copies (nor did my dentist) and I have to resubmit everything. So, it's another dentist appointment and a lesson learned the hard way for me. I also had to resubmit my aspiration statement and resume (warehouse again). Moral of the story, check everything! I know we would all hate to not be able to go on our departure date just because of some mail mix-up that can't be remedied in time to leave...
Next Message:
Quote:A lot of mail going into DC has been held up because of the anthrax scare. It's starting to flow again as fast as the postal service can irradiate everything. What I've been told is that anything sent to Washington since the beginning of October could be still be awaiting delivery.
It could be worse. If you live in DC, all of your mail is getting screwed up. I heard a story on NPR a few weeks ago about the growing number of people in and around the capital that are switching their bills to auto-pay or to Internet-pay because they're afraid their utilities will be cut off and their credit cards will accumulate interest while the mail is delayed.
Has anyone talked to PC employees at the head office about mail problems? I did a cursory check of the PC web site and didn't find anything. It would really help if we had news from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
Next Message:
Quote:In my case and in the case of some other people I know, it was because of the anthrax scare (hence the mail of a certain time period to that area being indefinitely sequestered in the warehouse). I agree that FedExing is the way to go. If you contact the Peace Corps about mailing something, many times they will even send a prepaid envelope - especially if it has already been sent once but didn't make it there (so there is no cost to send the stuff back to them). And, definitely make copies. Also, my country desk (Philippines) allowed me to email my aspiration statement and resume, so that option is worth looking into if it is more convenient or a person does not have immediate access to a fax machine.
Last Message:
Quote:I called the medical office last week with some questions and was told that everything should be sent to them by Fed Ex until further notice and if I sent anything in October, I should send it again.
Bottom line: If you are sending materials to PC/Washington for your overseas assignment, send them fedex, fax them, or email them - and keep a copy for your records.
Peace Corps Mail Update
Read and comment on this news release from the US Peace Corps on the delay in receiving mail that we reported on December 12 at:
Peace Corps Mail Update*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Peace Corps Mail Update
Due to national security efforts to ensure the delivery of safe mail, the Peace Corps is experiencing significant delays in receiving mail through the U.S. Postal System. This includes mail that may date as far back as October 1, 2001.
In addition, all first-class U.S. Postal System mail addressed to the Peace Corps continues to be sent for processing for decontamination before it is distributed. This includes express mail, certified mail and registered mail.
For these reasons, if you have sent materials to the Peace Corps via regular mail and are concerned about their delivery, we recommend you resend those materials either by faxing them or by Federal Express. If you are sending materials for the first time, we also recommend sending these materials by fax or Federal Express, until security issues with the U.S. Postal System mail delivery are resolved.
Special Information
For Peace Corps Volunteer applicants, Peace Corps employment, and Crisis Corps:
Peace Corps Volunteer Applicants:
Applying -- We encourage all people who are interested in applying to become a Peace Corps Volunteer to use the electronic application, which is available on this site at www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/apply/. Using the electronic application will result in your materials being received by the Peace Corps in a timely fashion, until mail delivery system issues have subsided.
Sending medical materials to the Peace Corps for the first time -- If you are mailing materials for the first time, please send them via Federal Express or fax. We expect to have continued delays, so please plan to use Federal Express or fax to send information to us throughout the period of your medical review. We look forward to working with your application.
If you have already mailed your medical materials -- Applicants who have mailed medical materials to Peace Corps headquarters on or after Oct. 1, please send us another copy of your medical clearance materials via fax or Federal Express.
Materials should be sent to Peace Corps, Medical Screening Unit, 1111 20th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20526. You may fax all materials except X-rays to (202) 692-1561.
Peace Corps Employment applicants (Note: these are not Peace Corps Volunteer positions): Delivery of your application materials by fax or e-mail is preferred. Applications may be faxed to 202-692-1201 or emailed to hrmjobs@peacecorps.gov.
Crisis Corps applicants: Applications and resumes should be faxed to (202) 692-2251 or emailed to crisiscorps@peacecorps.gov. An application and additional position information can be downloaded from this Web site at www.peacecorps.gov/rpcv/crisiscorps. Or you may call 800-424-8580, ext. 2250.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
.