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POSTAL EARLY OUT (VER) TIMELINE (effective July 31, 2009)
This National Voluntary Early Retirement offer, which ends
on July 31, 2009; has three effective dates. All VER
applications for any of the three effective dates are
subject to Area approval. Those effective dates are:
§
May 31, 2009,
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June 30, 2009, or
§
July 31, 2009.
Note that July 31, 2009 is the final effective date under this
National VERA; there are no extensions at this time.
VER is not a complicated process, but it does require some careful
thinking on the part of eligible employees. To help you make
an informed decision, please review the following quick
steps and important dates. Use this summary of the
instructions spelled out in the Offer Letter in conjunction
with the annuity estimate and any other forms in the Offer
Packet to make an informed decision.
Important Items:
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Dates
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What
Happens |
What
Should You Do? |
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March 20, 2009 |
Postal Service announces 2009 VERA for All VER-eligible
employees except Electronic Technicians (ET);
Maintenance Mechanics, Mail Processing Equipment (MPE);
Part-time Postmasters. |
Don’t panic! If you are VER-eligible, you will receive
all assistance needed. Make sure your address of record
is accurate. |
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April 6, 2009 to April 10, 2009 |
Annuity Estimates are mailed out to all VER-eligible
employees. |
Study the estimate carefully and start considering your
retirement options. |
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April 6, 2009 to April 10, 2009 |
VER Offer Packet mailed out to all VER-eligible
employees. |
Read through the information provided and in conjunction
with the annuity estimate, make a decision whether
voluntary early retirement is the best option for you. |
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April 10, 2009 to May 15, 2009 |
VER-eligible employees must decide whether to apply for
retirement during this period. |
Complete all required forms, and send to the HRSSC
(Human Resources Shared Service Center) per instructions
provided. After your Acknowledgement of Irrevocability
and Application for Immediate Retirement forms are
received at the HRSSC (postmarked no later than May 15,
2009) you will be mailed additional forms required to
complete the retirement process and information needed
to schedule your retirement information session. |
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May 15, 2009 |
Required documents must be postmarked by this date and
received at the HRSSC to take advantage of VER offer.
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DON’T MISS THIS DEADLINE! |
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May 15, 2009 |
Sent in your retirement application and changed your
mind? SUBMIT REQUEST TO WITHDRAW BEFORE THIS TIME.
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If you REALLY want to withdraw your application, pay
close attention to this deadline! |
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May 31, 2009,
June 30, 2009, or
July 31, 2009 |
Effective retirement date(s) for All VER-eligible
employees except Electronic Technicians (ET);
Maintenance Mechanics, Mail Processing Equipment (MPE);
Part-time Postmasters.
Specific effective retirement date (one of three listed)
depends on the selection made by the VER-eligible career
employee. |
If you applied for retirement and your application was
approved, have a wonderful retirement! |
Related Information
Retirement Videos
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August 18, 2008
VER
eligible employees in the groups that were previously
announced will have annuity estimates mailed to their
address of record from USPS, Eagan MN
August 22, 2008
VER offer packet will be sent to all eligible employees
containing a cover letter, an application and a list of
questions and answers
August
25 – September 30, 2008
Interested
employees will have from Aug. 25 to Sept. 30 to submit their
application. It’s important to note that Sept. 30 is the
date when an employee's voluntary choice to retire becomes
irrevocable.
September 30, 2008
The decision to apply for
VER consideration will become irrevocable after this date
MID-November 2008
Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC)
will notify employees as to the status of their VER application.
At that time retirement counseling will be made available
December 31, 2008
Employees receiving approval will have an effective
retirement date of Dec. 31.
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VER Timeline for Postmasters and Other EAS
(10/1/2008)
Postmasters.org
November 21, 2008 - Annuity estimates will begin being
mailed to eligible employees.
November 28, 2008 - VER Offer packages will begin being
mailed to VER eligible employees.
December 03, 2008 through January 16, 2009 - VER Window
Period.
The VER effective date is Tuesday, March 31, 2009.
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USPS Announces VER Timeline For
Letter Carriers, Maintenance, EAS, PCES
(9/04/2008)
The age
and years of service criteria must be met by the effective
retirement date of this VERA: February 28, 2009.
If you don’t meet
the criteria by February 28, 2009, you are not eligible for
voluntary early retirement
October 10, 2008 - Annuity
Estimates are mailed out to all VER eligible employees.
October 15, 2008 -VER Offer Packet mailed out to all VER
eligible employees.
October 20 – November 21, 2008 -VER eligible employees must
decide whether to apply for retirement during this period.
October 20, 2008 -HRSSC begins sending out Retirement Forms to
all early retirement applicants.
November 21, 2008 – 8:30 p.m. (Eastern time) -Required documents
must be received at the HRSSC to take advantage of VER offer.
November 21, 2008 – 8:30 p.m. (Eastern time) -Sent in your
retirement application and changed your mind? SUBMIT REQUEST TO
WITHDRAW BEFORE THIS TIME.
Mid-January, 2009 -HRSSC begins notification to employees on
status of VER applications.
February 28, 2009 -Effective retirement date for approved EAS
and PCES in Headquarters and Headquarters-related positions
(excluding bargaining unit positions and Area positions).
Maintenance, Motor Vehicle, City Carrier, and Rural Carrier
positions.
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Burrus to Maintenance, Motor Vehicle Employees: Don't Go! (9/04/2008)
APWU.org
With news that the Postal Service will offer Voluntary Early
Retirement (VER) to Motor Vehicle Services and Maintenance Craft
employees - except Electronic Technicians - APWU President
William Burrus is reiterating his advice to union members: DON'T
GO! "My reasoning is simple," he said. "Every APWU-represented
employee who leaves early will save the USPS hundreds of
thousands of dollars, yet the Postal Service is refusing to
offer cash incentives
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Two Errors in USPS VER FAQs
Corrected 9/5/08 (9/01/2008)
https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/ver2008/effective_retirement_date_022809.htm
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Early Outs Approved For Rural
Carriers, MVS, Maintenance
(8/28/2008)
NALC: OPM
Approves Early Outs For Letter Carriers
(8/28/2008)
NALC
The Office of Personnel Management
has informed the Postal Service that it may offer voluntary
early retirement to members of the city letter carrier craft.
NALC President William H. Young said details of an early
retirement agreement are being worked out and will be released
once finalized.
VERA
Approved For All EAS and Postmasters
(8/28/2008)
National League of Postmasters
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ANOTHER VERA APPROVAL
(8/20/2008)
USPS News Link
USPS authorized to offer more voluntary early retirements
The Postal Service has received approval from the Office of
Personnel Management to offer voluntary early retirement to all
Headquarters and Headquarters-related employees — that includes
service centers, organizational units and Area offices — in EAS
and PCES positions.
Details of the program are still being developed and will be
announced soon. Once they are announced, they will be posted to
the VERA website on Blue and LiteBlue.
No incentive package will be offered for employees who choose
early retirement.
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NPMHU:
All VER-Eligible Employees May Not Be Approved
( 8/2/2008)
NPMHU President:
Third Update on Voluntary Early Retirement - VER
On August 18, 2008,
an annuity estimate will be mailed to all VER-eligible employees
from Eagan, MN. However, there is no guarantee that everyone who
applies will be approved. In other words, just because a mail
handler gets a VER offer in the mail will not – we repeat, NOT –
guarantee a VER. The extent of this VER is still undetermined,
according to what we have been told by management. Management
claims that it still needs to consult with Areas and Districts
to determine if there are any locations not to be covered. We
have also been told that the numbers of VERs in any Plant may be
limited if operations dictate, and that if they are so limited,
those mail handlers having the earliest retirement computation
dates will be allowed to go. The Union is demanding that this be
VER be available to all Mail Handlers
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Postal Service
Recommends VERA for Postmasters
(8/01/08)
National
League of Postmasters
This afternoon, July 23, League President Charley Mapa was
contacted by Bill Jones, HQ Labor Relations. Mr. Jones stated
that, in response to the letter that his office had received
from League and Napus, today the Postal Service had sent to the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) their own letter
recommending a VERA (early out) for Postmasters. For this
process to go forward, OPM must approve the request.
Mr. Jones was careful to point out that even if OPM approves the
request, the Postal Service may not choose to exercise the
option of an early out for Postmasters. If approved, and if the
Postal Service decides to offer the VERA to Postmasters, the
VERA will occur over the next two years. The request sent to OPM
would cover all Postmasters, levels 11 through 24.
As always, the League will stay on top of this issue and
communicate any updates to you as soon as they become official.
Charley Mapa
President
National League of Postmasters
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NALC President Young: No Decision Yet On
Extending Early Out Offer To Letter Carriers
(7/29/08)
President Young told delegates at
the NALC Convention in Boston last week that “very little has
been decided” about the possibility the Postal Service will
extend to city letter carriers its pending “Voluntary Early
Retirement” program for clerks, mail handlers and their
supervisors. Young, who is in close contact with USPS on the
issue, emphasized that if there is an “early out” offer to city
letter carriers, it would be limited and not likely to occur
before 2009. Even with the advent of flat sorting equipment and
the decline in volume, he reminded the delegates there are still
145 million delivery points that need service by carriers. If
any substantial information becomes available, members will be
notified promptly, President Young said
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USPS Releases Details Of Voluntary Early
Retirement Offer
(7/16/08)
USPS News Talk
"The Postal Service has released
details of the voluntary early retirement (VER) offer recently
authorized by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for USPS
employees in clerk, mail handler, supervisor of distribution
operations and supervisor of customer services positions. This
offer is open to employees in those positions who meet the OPM
conditions, and who are at least 50 years of age with 20 years
of creditable federal service or any age with 25 years of
creditable federal service — see the FAQ for more details.
On Aug. 18, an annuity estimate will be mailed to all
VER-eligible employees from Eagan, MN. In addition, on Aug. 22 a
VER offer packet will be sent to all eligible employees
containing a cover letter, an application and a list of
questions and answers. Interested employees will have from Aug.
25 to Sept. 30 to submit their application. It’s important to
note that Sept. 30 is the date when an employee's voluntary
choice to retire becomes irrevocable.
By mid-November, the Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC)
will notify employees as to the status of their VER application.
At that time retirement counseling will be made available.
Employees receiving approval will have an effective retirement
date of Dec. 31.
As a reminder, a voluntary early retirement is just that —
voluntary. This timeline only applies to employees in clerk,
mail handler, supervisor of distribution operations and
supervisor of customer services positions who meet the
eligibility requirements."
Click here
for the list
of frequently asked questions.
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Burrus to VER-Eligible Employees: ‘DON’T GO’ (7/15/08)
APWU.org
With news that eligible
employees will soon be receiving notice from the Postal Service
about an offer of Voluntary Early Retirement (VER), APWU
President William Burrus is advising union members to delay
making a decision as long as possible.
“The opportunity to retire early may be tempting, but it is not
being offered for the employee’s benefit: It is intended to
improve the financial condition of the Postal Service. An
employee who retires after 25 years of service can expect to
receive an annuity of less than half of the average basic salary
of the last three years,” Burrus said. He noted that this would
exclude most of the time period covered by the 2008 upgrade and
the September 2008 Cost-of-Living Adjustment, which is expected
to be over $1,000 — one of the largest in postal history.
Who
Will Be Eligible For the ‘Early-Out’ Offer? (7/15/08)
APWU.org
The Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) approves requests by federal agencies and the USPS to
offer Voluntary Early Retirement. According to OPM, to be
eligible, employees must be at least 50 years old and have at
least 20 years of creditable service, OR may be any age provided
they have at least 25 years of creditable service.
OPM’s
approval of the Postal Service’s VER request [PDF]
applies to Clerk, Mail Handler, and initial-level supervisory
employees agency-wide. The offers can be made to eligible
employees “from June 30, 2008, through June 30, 2009.
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Burrus: Employees Would Be Best Served by Postponing
Early-Out Decisions
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(7/11/08)
Burrus Update
In light of the announcement
that the Postal Service has received approval to offer Voluntary
Early Retirement to employees in the Clerk Craft and the Mail Handler
Craft, as well as to some supervisory employees, many APWU members
are beginning to wonder about their options. The union has been
informed that the Postal Service expects a deficit of approximately
$1.4 billion in the current fiscal year. We also can expect that
if a sufficient number of employees do not accept the early-out
offer, the Postal Service will still face a significant deficit,
and will still be forced to find ways to reduce the workforce.
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VERA (early out) is being offered
to most crafts, some supervisors but NO Postmasters
(7/10/08)
National League
of Postmasters
Note that the VERA
is being offered to most crafts, some supervisors, and NO Postmasters.
Also realize that these early outs may not be blanket offers nor
may they be happening soon. Therefore, you may caution your employees
not to sell their homes yet! Regarding Postmasters, over a week
ago, we drafted a letter to Labor Relations requesting an early
out for Postmasters. Dale Goff from Napus signed our joint letter
and the letter was sent to Postal HQ. Postmasters need to remember
that there has to be a good business reason for an early out for
PMs; it won't happen just because Postmasters work hard.
I will caution the Postal Service to be careful where they offer
the early outs. It will be of little benefit to offer early outs
to employees in facilities where a short-staffing situation already
exists.
NAPUS:
Postmasters Want a "Me Too" on Early Out? (PDF)
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USPS Gets VERA Approval
(7/10/08)
USPS News Link
Postal Service
authorized to offer voluntary early retirement
It’s official.
The Postal Service
has received approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
to offer voluntary early retirement to employees in clerk, mail
handler, supervisor of distribution operations and supervisor of
customer services positions nationwide.
Automation and technological
advances coupled with mail volume reductions has the Postal Service
continuing to look for ways to voluntarily reduce its workforce
while maintaining excellent customer service.
Details of the program
are still being developed and will be announced later. No incentive
package will be offered for employees who choose early retirement.
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NPMHU: First Update On VERA For Postal Mail Handlers
(7/10/08)
This is the
first in what undoubtedly will be a series of updates with
regard to the issue of Voluntary Early Retirements for mail
handlers.
The National
Office has learned that the Postal Service has formally been
granted authority by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to
offer a VERA to certain postal employees during the period from
June 30, 2008 through June 30, 2009. The grant of this
authority does not obligate the Postal Service to offer a VERA,
but simply gives the Postal Service the authority to offer a
VERA if, after discussions and negotiations with the affected
postal unions, the Postal Service believes that a VERA would be
helpful.
In the next
few days and weeks, the NPMHU and the Postal Service will meet
to discuss any and all early out options. Until discussions
occur, there is no additional information to distribute.
As always,
the National Office will continue to address the situation and
will alert our members when there are substantive developments
to report.
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APWU Meets with USPS, Seeks Bargaining Over Early-Outs
(7/9/08)
APWU Web News
APWU President William
Burrus met with postal officials July 8 regarding USPS plans to
offer early-retirement opportunities to 40,000 employees. “I conveyed
our strongly-held belief that the Postal Service is required to
bargain with the union over Voluntary Early Retirement opportunities,”
Burrus said.
“I also reiterated
our request for all pertinent information,” he said, “including
the Postal Service’s request to the Office of Personnel Management
requesting authority to offer early-outs, and OPM’s response.” Under
the law, federal agencies, including the Postal Service, must receive
approval from OPM to offer Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) opportunities
to their employees.
Postal officials indicated
that OPM has approved the request, and agreed to provide the union
with the requested information. “We will review the information
once we receive it and engage in further discussions with management,”
Burrus said.
“We do not oppose Voluntary
Early Retirements,” he explained, “but we do object to any plan
to offer them selectively and exclude some employees from eligibility,”
he said. “We also believe that for this VER, which is not the result
of contract negotiations, severance pay must accompany an offer
of early retirement.”
“We intend to pursue
our concerns over this matter,” Burrus noted. “As we receive additional
information, we will share it with our members.”
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NALC:
President Young addresses early out rumors
(7/8/08)
There
are many rumors on the internet about a pending early out for letter
carriers. I have been advised that the USPS has requested permission
to have a VERA for letter carriers and expects an answer at the
end of this month. Until the Office of Personnel Management has
acted upon that request it is premature to discuss any early out
options. We will continue to monitor the situation and will alert
our members as soon as OPM has acted on the USPS request.
20,000 postal clerks, mail handlers may get early
retirement
(7/8/08)
Federal Times
The
U.S. Postal Service is preparing to offer voluntary early retirements
to up to 20,000 clerks and mail handlers as part of a nationwide
reorganization of its delivery network. But in a statement issued
to Federal Times July 8,
the Postal Service said it will not offer buyouts to anyone taking
early retirement. The Postal Service said further details on the
early retirement offer will be released later this week.
National Association of Postal Supervisors
Legislative and Regulatory Update
(7/7/08)
"According
to unconfirmed reports, the Postal Service will target the next
round of early-out offers to specific areas, but without the aid
of buyouts or additional financial incentives to sweeten their appeal."
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UPDATE: APWU, USPS Reschedule Meeting To Discuss Possible “Early
Outs” (7/7/08)
APWU to Meet With USPS Over Possible 'Early Out' Offer
(7/3/08)
APWU.org
The union has learned unofficially that the Postal Service has requested
from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the authority to offer
early retirement to 40,000 postal employees. In response to an inquiry
from my office, a meeting with Postal Service headquarters has been
scheduled for Monday regarding these reports.
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USPS
Early Out Offer Excludes ETs - No Cash Incentives (7/5/08)
From NAPS.org Forum
via reader:
"For
those that are not aware there was a symposium in the Great Lakes
area the last few days for Lead Plant Managers and PMs. During the
symposium Mr. Donahoe and Mr. Ward made the announcement. The USPS
has put a request in with the OPM for a VERA for all USPS employees
with the exceptions of Electronic Technicians (PR note: President
Burrus is challenging that exclusion). The OPM should be able to
notify the Postal Service by August. I was told to say to ALL who
inquire that there will be NO INCENTIVES! I repeat No incentives.
The Postal Service will not make the same mistake that it made in
1992 with cash incentives. The number that we need to reach is 40,000
employees. I was told that under current conditions they will not
reach the 40k goal. Our mail volume has dropped to the 2004 volume
and our anticipated attrition is down 50% do to gas prices and the
economy. Full details will be available by August."
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Read the full memo
Early Out Info-PDF
(source:
NALC Branch #38) (7/3/08)
This is
an update of where we are with the upcoming implementation of the
National VERs for craft and supervisory positions. We expect to
have an OPM approval for the initial VER request for the clerks,
mail handlers, SDO and SCS positions as early next week. We do not
expect to receive the second OPM VER approval for Maintenance, Motor
Vehicle, Carriers and Rural Carriers crafts until the end of July.
Some of you have asked for the list of VER eligibles but because
we have not established a firm VER effective date, these names will
not be provided. For your planning purposes, we can provide raw
numbers of VER eligibles by districts and by craft for the first
group (clerks. mail handlers, supervisors) with a proposed VER effective
date of December 31, 2008. These reports will be available to you
by the middle of next week. The second group (MV. Maintenance, Carriers)
will have a later VER effective date and this report will be provided
the week of July 7.Once we have established firm VER effective dates,
we will provide the names of VER eligibles as a part of our normal
process to implement VERs - timelines and guidelines.
In the meantime, we have started to develop preliminary plans for
the implementation of the national VER, including discussions with
HRSSC and Eagan as it relates to the massive volume of VER offer
packages and annuity estimates that will be mailed. Labor Relations
(Bill Jones and John Dockins) will coordinate national notifications
and we plan to have a national Communication Plan (Maria Pell) A
teleconference will be scheduled within the next two weeks to get
your input and to discuss the preliminary plans for the implementation
of the VERs,
Shirley Payne Ford, Manager
Organization Change Management
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FERS Employees Be Aware (7/5/08)
Voluntary Early
Retirement for FERS employees can be a better deal than for CSRS
people. For example: the age penalty is waived for FERS employees,
but not for CSRS. Detailed information on VER for postal employees
is posted at
http://www.usps.com/vera/.
If a FERS
employee is eligible for a disability retirement, that is usually
a better option. Ask HRSSC for a disability retirement estimate
to compare with the VER annuity estimate. For CSRS people,
there is usually no advantage to retiring on a disability instead
of a VER.
A bonus for
all retirees is that they may withdraw their TSP money after retirement
without a 10% early withdrawal penalty if they are at least age
55 in the year of separation. Some other withdrawals, including
annuities, are also exempt from an early withdrawal penalty.
For more information see the two booklets:
Withdrawing Your TSP Account After Leaving
Federal Service
Important Tax Information About Payments From
Your TSP Account
Unlike CSRS retirees, FERS retirees
don’t worry about the
Government Pension Offset (GPO) or the
Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). But there is a catch:
FERS retirees between their minimum retirement age (about age 56)
and full retirement age (about age 66) may have their FERS annuity
supplement and/or Social Security benefit reduced if they earn too
much money in a year ($13,560 currently). See
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10069.html
FERS
retirement has several components to calculate for an accurate estimate.
No two people will have the same age, Social Security earnings record,
TSP balance or years of service. You must do an individualized
assessment. USPS has a video website that explains your FERS
and CSRS retirement benefits. See
http://www.connectlive.com/events/uspsretirement/redirectindex.html
Don Cheney
Auburn, WA
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