Phantom Routes
555.1 Establishment
  Phantom routes are created to hold a regular carrier on a route so the carrier will not be forgotten by the office.  When the regular rural carrier is unable to perform all the duties of her or his assigned rural route for a period of 2 years as a result of a job-related illness or injury, the employee must relinquish the route and such route will be posted for bid.  The bid in accordance with Article 12, Section 3, of the National Agreement between the United States Postal Service and the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA).
555.2 Routes 980-989
  Effective PP 20-93, September 18, 1993, rural routes 980-989 may be created for the assignment of regular carriers who have relinquished their routes and continue to be an injured on duty/leave without pay (IOD/LWOP) status.  An office may establish a maximum of 10 rural routes. The rural route master (AAQ300) will display this route, but summary totals do not include any route data.  Do not place any employee on a phantom route that is working on limited duty or is working in any capacity and being paid from Form 1314.
555.3 Form 4003, Official Rural Route Description
  To create this route, submit Form 4003, Official Rural Route Description, for processing. Enter X for the new route and the route data at the time when the employee was injured.  Do not enter the current data.  Information on Form 4003 should contain the route number (starting with 980 for the first route in the office), route length, regular and/or centralized boxes, stops, base hours, high or low option, if applicable, and vehicle data.
555.4 Form 1314, Regular Rural Carrier Time Certificate
  After creating the route, process Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action, to transfer the IOD/LWOP carrier to this route.  The Minneapolis Information Systems Service Center (MNISSC) will issue Form 1314 under the new route number.  Offices must enter leave without pay in the Days Assigned Absent Code and a replacement carrier with social security number 999-99-9999.  Enter the correct number of trips to crossfoot the certificate.