Ricketts letter highlights ongoing issues at Omaha postal facility

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts has sent a letter to the U.S. Postal Service’s Omaha Processing and Distribution Center calling for improvements based on an audit by the Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General.

The audit, done last fall, found numerous problems at the Omaha center, which serves as a hub for all of Nebraska.

Among the major issues that were identified were employees not being properly allocated to ensure mail was processed in a timely manner, old machinery that breaks down often and improper sorting procedures.

All of those issues led to delays in mail processing and delivery.

For example, the audit found that from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, nearly a quarter of all mail delivery trips from the facility were delayed and 7% were canceled.

The audit also found that for almost all months during the period, scanning accuracy at the facility fell well below the Postal Service’s benchmark for accuracy.

Ricketts, in his letter, detailed mail issues some of his constituents reported to him.

“Several constituents have shared complications related to sending sensitive materials such as checks and prescriptions through the USPS,” Ricketts wrote in the letter, which was addressed to Daniel Hirai, senior processing operations leader for the Midwest Division branch at USPS.

“A constituent who sent a check that was never delivered went to the Plattsmouth post office to report the issue. They were told that lost mail was a common occurrence. Another constituent from Osmond who owns a business has had significant delays when sending checks through the mail. He mailed a check within his zip code that took over nine days to deliver. Checks sent within Omaha on January 9th were not delivered until February 14th. A pharmacy in Burwell, Nebraska, spoke of delays for their prescription deliveries. The pharmacy told me that mail prescriptions are taking up to six weeks to arrive at destinations as close as 30 miles. These delays are affecting the ability of Nebraskans to run their businesses and stay healthy.”

Ricketts also highlighted examples of mail and packages being misrouted.

“For example, a Nebraskan sent a package from Elkhorn, NE to Arlington, VA. The package went from Elkhorn to a sorting center in St. Louis, MO. Then it was sent back to a distribution center in Omaha, NE. The package never made it to Arlington,” Ricketts wrote. “These routing issues have caused emotional distress. Three young children who were recently orphaned needed passports to join their uncle in Japan. While two of the three passports came from Colorado to Nebraska, the third inexplicably ended up in New Hampshire. There it sat in a distribution center for five days delaying the children’s chance to be with family.”

The audit gave eight recommendations, and in all eight cases management of the facility agreed to either take steps to implement them or said work was already underway to make the necessary changes. Deadlines for six of the recommendations have already passed, while the other two are supposed to be done by the end of this month.

A USPS spokesperson was not immediately able to say Thursday morning whether the recommendations had been implemented, but she said she would work to find out.

In his letter, Ricketts said that delays continue to affect Nebraskans.

“It is clear that these recommendations are not working,” he wrote. “It is important these recommendations are implemented and Nebraska mail facilities continue monitoring their operations. We need to hold our offices accountable as these issues and deficiencies are resulting in delays, cancellations, and concerns. It is imperative that our constituents have reliable mail service systems for day-to-day activities, but also emergency situations."