Access - The review of a record or a copy of a record or parts thereof in a system of records by an individual.

Action Officer  -  Person who processes FOIA requests and reviews documents for release.

Administrative Appeal - A request by a member of the general public, made under the FOIA, asking the appellate authority of a DoD Component to reverse a decision: to withhold all or part of a requested record; to deny a fee category claim by a requester; to deny a request for waiver or reduction of fees.

Agency - Businesses, departments, or services chartered or controlled by the federal government.

Agency record - Documents created or obtained by an agency or under to the control of an agency at the time a FOIA request is made.

Appeal - A request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a full denial or partial denial of access to records under the Freedom of Information Act, or any other adverse FOIA determination.

Appellate Authority - The Head of the DoD Component or the Component head's designee having jurisdiction for this purpose over the record, or any of the other adverse determinations.

Circumvent - To go around or avoid.

Complex Request - A FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in a slower track based on the volume and/or complexity of records requested.

Confidential Source - A person or organization who has furnished information to the Federal Government under an expressed promise that the person's or the organization's identity will be held in confidence or under an implied promise of such confidentiality.

Denial - Am agency's decision not to release any part of a record or records in response to a FOIA request because all the information in the requested records is determined by the agency to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's exemptions, or for some procedural reason.

Disclose - To reveal or show.

Disclosure - The transfer of any personal information from a system of records by any means of communication (such as oral, written, electronic, mechanical, or actual review) to any person, private entity, or Government Agency, other than the subject of the record, the subject's designated agent or the subject's legal guardian.

Duplicate Request - A request for the same information by the same requester. This includes identical requests received via different means at the same or different times.

Duplication.   Producing paper or microfiche copies of records.

DoD Component - An element of the Department of Defense authorized to receive and act independently on FOIA requests. A DoD component has its own initial denial authority (IDA), appellate authority, and legal counsel.

Electronic Reading Room -  Records made available, via the internet, for public viewing at no charge.

Electronic Records - Records (including e-mail) that are created, stored, and retrievable by electronic means.

Initial Denial Authority - The official designated authority to grant or deny records.

Exemption 3 statute - A separate federal statute prohibiting the disclosure of a certain type of information and authorizing its withholding under FOIA Exemption 3.

Expedited processing - An agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis when a requester has shown a compelling need or urgency for the records which warrants prioritization of his or her request over other requests that were made earlier.

Federal Agency - A federal agency is any executive department, military department, government corporation, government controlled corporation, or other establishment in the Executive Branch of Government (including the Executive Office of the President), or any independent regulatory agency.

Fee Related Reason - The requester is unwilling to pay fees associated with the request; the request is past due in the payment of fees associated with a previous FOIA request; or the requester disagrees with a fee estimate.

FOIA Request – A written request for federal agency records that reasonably describes the record(s) sought, made by any person, including a member of the public, an organization, or a business, but not including a Federal Agency or a fugitive from the law. Requesters should also indicate a willingness to pay fees associated with the processing of their request, or in the alternative, why a waiver of fees may be appropriate.

Grant – An agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request.

Individual – A living citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. The legal guardian of an individual has the same rights as the individual and may act on his or her behalf. No rights are vested in the representative of a dead person under the regulation.

Individual Access – Access to information pertaining to the individual by the individual or his or her designated agent or legal guardian.

Initial Denial Authority (IDA) – An official who has been granted authority by the head of a DoD Component to withhold records requested under the FOIA for one or more of the nine categories of records exempt from mandatory disclosure. IDA’s may also deny a fee category claim by a requester and/or deny a request for expedited processing due to demonstrated compelling need.

Initial Request – A request to a federal agency for access to records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Member of the Public – Any individual or party acting in a private capacity to include Federal employees or military personnel.

Multi-track processing – A system in which simple requests requiring relatively minimal review are placed in one processing track and more voluminous and complex requests are placed in one or more other tracks. Requests in each track are processed on a first-in/first out basis. A requester who has a compelling need for records may request expedited processing.

No Records – A reasonable search of files failed to identify records responsive to the request.

Not a Proper FOIA Request for Some Other Reason – The requester has failed unreasonably to comply with legitimate procedural requirements which are not fee related.

Not an Agency Record – The requested information was not a record within the meaning of the FOIA.

Partial grant – An agency decision to disclose a record in part in response to a FOIA request. Deleting information determined to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA’s exemptions; or a decision to disclose some records in their entireties, but to withhold others in whole or in part.

Perfected request – A FOIA request for records which adequately describes the records sought, which has been received by the FOIA office of the agency or agency component in possession of the records.

Personal Information – Information about an individual that is intimate or private to the individual, as distinguished from information related solely to the individual’s official functions or public life.

Person.   Any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or foreign or domestic government, excluding federal agencies and fugitives from law.

Privacy Act Request – A request from an individual for notification as the existence of, access to, or amendment of records pertaining to that individual. These records must be maintained in a system of records. The request must indicate that it is being made under Privacy Act to be considered a Privacy Act request.

Processed Request or Appeal – A request or appeal for which an agency has taken a final action on the request or the appeal in all respects.

Public Interest – The interest in obtaining official information that sheds light on an Agency’s performance of its statutory duties because the information falls within the statutory purpose of the FOIA to inform citizens about what their government is doing.That statutory purpose, however, is not fostered by disclosure of information about private citizens accumulated in various governmental files that reveals nothing about an Agency’s or official own conduct.

Reading Room.   Records made available for public viewing at no charge.

Record – Any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including but not limited to the individual’s education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history, and that contains the individual’s name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as finger or voice print or a photograph.

Records not Reasonably Described – The request could not be acted upon since the record had not been described with sufficient particularity to enable the DoD Component to locate it by conducting a reasonable search.

Redact.   To make ready for release.  Applies to the removal of information from within a document.

Review.   The process of examining a responsive record to determine disclosure, apply exemptions, redact exempt information, and prepare for records for release.

Risk Assessment – An analysis considering information sensitivity, vulnerabilities, and the cost to a computer facility or word processing activity in safeguarding personal information processed or stored in the facility or activity.

Routine Use – The disclosure of a record outside the Department of Defense for a use that is compatible with the purpose for which the information was collected and maintained by the Department of Defense. The routine use must be included in the published system notice for the system of records involved.

Other – Any other reason a requester does not comply with published rules, other than those mentioned above.

Search.   The process of looking for responsive records.

Statute.   Federal law.

System of Records – A group of records under the control of a DoD Component from which information is retrieved by the individual’s name or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual. System notices for all Privacy Act systems of records must be published in the Federal Register.

Time limits – The time period in the Freedom of Information Act for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily 20 working days from proper receipt of a FOIA request).

Unusual circumstances – the need occurs to search for and collect records from separate offices, the need to examine a voluminous amount of records required by the request and the need to consult with another agency component.

Unwarranted.   Groundless, without reason or provocation.

Withdrawn – The request was withdrawn by the requester.

Return to top