Wouldn't you know it, the day after I requested the IRS to trace my payment, the check showed up.
When I checked in early Jan., the IRS web site said that it was scheduled to be mailed on the 6th. My sister & BIL checked the site and theirs was to be mail the same day. They got their debit card's around the 13th and I've been waiting. The IRS site said to wait 20 days from the mailing date, I waited 22 days before sending in the form requesting a trace because we've had some mail theft nearby.
My check is dated Jan. 6th so either the USPS is getting even slower than it was or it took the IRS weeks to put it in an envelope, seal it and get it in the mail. Maybe the DC riot upset things but the check was mailed out of Philadelphia. That works out to less miles per day than what the Pony Express used to cover!