Shortcomings abound as Post Office handles cremated remains, watchdog finds

The United States Post Office is the only courier in the U.S. that handles and delivers the created remains of loved ones and pets, but the agency doesn't always follow proper procedure when handling the morbid parcels, a watchdog report has found.

Published this week, the report from the USPS Office of Inspector General highlighted improper labelling of cremated remains and ignorance of USPS procedures for handling them within the agency. The report followed an inquiry from Indiana GOP Sen. Mike Braun.

The OIG interviewed 18 retail clerks about their knowledge of proper labelling procedures. Of those 18, 5 (28%), failed to select the correct label at the time of accepting the parcel. The same number failed to properly affix the Created Remains label to all sides of the box while half (9) did not completely cover all other barcodes with the correct label.

In noting those results, the report highlighted that 36% of service requests related to Cremated Remains from Oct. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2022 involved a customer's inability to track the remains of their loved one. OIG further concluded that the USPS did not always follow monitoring procedures for such parcels while in facilities.

The watchdog attributed many of the issues to a lack of awareness of existing procedure and recommended that USPS clearly communicate its guidelines to personnel. It further suggested creating guidance for verifying the proper handling of cremated remains, both at acceptance and in plants; and devise a plan to provide better access to appropriate kit boxes for customers.

USPS largely agreed with the OIG recommendations, but rejected a suggestion to require clerks to directly place cremated remains packages into individual Priority Mail Express sacks at acceptance. It further rejected a recommendation that the USPS explore requiring the use of kit boxes for transport, saying it would inconvenience customers.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.