There’s growing concerns about recent changes by The U.S. Postal Service when mail is postmarked as it's processed. Some worry this change could cause issues with time-sensitive mail like ballots and taxes. And as Texas Public Radio reports, advocates worry the change could also lead to people with disabilities losing access to important services. Instead of mail being postmarked when it's first received, it will now be stamped while being sorted and processed at regional distribution centers – which could be several days later.
Julia Chalker directs the Arc of DFW area, an advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Chalker says this is just another barrier that could lead to people losing coverage in programs like Medicaid. “A lot of times when they lose benefits, it can take a really long time to get it back.”
Chalker says people should plan to mail documents earlier or get it hand-stamped. the change officially took effect on December 24, 2025. As a Brookings Institution report, published December 30, 2025, spells out, the “changes include consolidating processing from nearly 200 local processing centers to just 60 regional facilities, as well as reducing the number of dispatches between processing facilities and local post offices.”
The report reminds the reader that this new process ends a 70 year legal and administrative system that treated a postmark as evidence of when a person met a deadline. Postal Service leaders pointed out the changes were aimed at addressing financial instability challenges facing the agency.
