USPS could have lost our AOS packet. Send another one?

[Dmitry S 4]

Hello!
We have sent a packet with AOS applications (I-485, I-131, I-765) for my wife and daughters via USPS. According to the tracking number last known status:
  December 31, 2020
  In Transit, Arriving Late
  Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.
One before that:
  December 27, 2020, 11:44 pm
  Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
  CHICAGO IL DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

 

After an inquiry with USPS they said "it is possible for the item to have been delivered without a scan". I have called USCIS several times asking whether they have received a packet and was told "no", last time today. They are asking to wait for 90 days since the date of supposed delivery because of their backlog.
We don’t know whether the package was delivered to the USCIS or was lost by USPS. And we won’t potentially know for more than a month.

 

What should we do now? If we just wait and then figure out the package was truly lost, we are just wasting time now - my wife cannot work (she really wants to start working!), cannot travel outside of the U.S.

 

Can we assemble and send another AOS package to USCIS? If we do and in case when the first package actually made it through to the USCIS, what will happen if there will be a second set of applications?
USCIS customer service representative also said if the payments from both of the packets will go through, it would be almost impossible to reverse the payment. I wonder if there are other issues with potentially having duplicate applications.
Please advise!

[eirinlinn 105]

I think with how long it’s been it definitely would be wise to put together another package. I’m in a similar situation but we are holding off a while because we haven’t been waiting nearly as long as you. We sent it February 15th. You may have been caught during the Christmas back log and just for reference a coworker of mine received a Christmas card post dated 17 DEC from Pennyslvania (we are in Utah) just last week. 
 

I think the odds are in your favor to wait for just a little bit longer because I am afraid with all these winter storms you might be setting yourself back even longer. I personally have debated using UPS and I’m still weighing that if nothing is received for the next two weeks.

 

Chicago had an audit at its four postal offices last year in September and it was found that they had ~60k pieces of mail that was late just sitting in its offices. Around 6% of usps’ work force is out sick with COVID as well. The winter storms as well certainly aren’t helping anything either. 
 

definitely put a new packet together in the meantime so that way if it doesn’t show in the next few weeks you’ll be ready to send it by then. But keep calling uscis  periodically! 

[Dmitry S 4]

Good news - our package has actually been delivered to USCIS. Several days after I posted there were pending charges on the credit card by USCIS for the correct amounts. A week or so later we have received NOA-1 letters with receipt numbers.

Huge relief for us. Yet it took them over 2 months just to send the NOA-1!