HHS | Program Support Center

Administrative Operations

The Privacy Act

The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended at 5 U.S.C. 552a, protects records that can be retrieved by personal identifiers such as a name, social security number, or other identifying number or symbol. An individual is entitled to access to his or her records and to request correction of these records if applicable.

The Privacy Act prohibits disclosure of these records without the written consent of the individual(s) to whom the records pertain unless one of the twelve disclosure exceptions enumerated in the Act applies. These records are held in Privacy Act systems of records. A notice of any such system is published in the Federal Register. These notices identify the legal authority for collecting and storing the records, individuals about whom records will be collected, what kinds of information will be collected, and how the records will be used.

The Privacy Act binds only Federal agencies, and covers only records in the possession and control of Federal agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services has specific Privacy Act Regulations.

If your privacy inquiry concerns a specific HHS Operating Division’s records, you may contact the appropriate HHS Privacy Act Contacts.

The Privacy Act of 1974 requires that agencies create and maintain, as necessary, a System of Records Notices (SORN) as defined in the Privacy Act provisions. A system is subject to the Privacy Act if it contains a system of records; any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that identifies the individual, and where those records are retrieved by the name of the individual or by some type of identifier unique to the individual.

E-Government Act of 2002 requires government agencies to assess the impact on privacy for systems that collect personally identifiable information in Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs). All HHS PIAs are available online.

Each FOIA office in HHS has a FOIA Requester Service Center that processes relevant FOIA requests.

AoA - Administration on Aging
ACF - Administration for Children and Families
AHRQ - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CMS - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
FDA - Food and Drug Administration
HRSA - Health Resources and Services Administration
IHS - Indian Health Service
NIH - National Institutes of Health
OIG - Office of Inspector General
PSC - Program Support Center
PHS - Public Health Service
SAMHSA - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Program Support Center

Administrative Operations

FOIA Office

The Privacy Act

System of Records Notices (SORNs)

Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs)