(a) In general. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the
component that:
(1) First receives a request for access to a record, and
(2) Has possession of the requested record is the component
ordinarily responsible for responding to the request.
(b) Authority to grant or deny requests. The head of a component,
or his designee (i.e. disclosure officer), is authorized to make an
initial grant or denial of any request for access to a record in the
possession of that component.
(c) Processing of requests for access not properly addressed. A
request for access that is not properly addressed as specified in
Sec. 71.2 shall be forwarded to the Assistant Secretary for
Administration and Management, who shall forward the request to the
appropriate component or components for processing. A request not
addressed to the appropriate component will be deemed not to have been
received by the Department until the Assistant Secretary for
Administration and Management has forwarded the request to the
appropriate component which has the record and that component has
received the request. When the component receives an improperly
addressed request, it shall notify the requester of the date on which
it received the request. Accordingly, a request for access shall be
deemed received on the date that it is received in the appropriate
component.
(d) Date for determining responsive records. In determining the
extent to which records are responsive to a request for access, a
component ordinarily will include only those records within the
component's possession and control as of the date of its receipt of the
request.
(e) First party requests. A request for access by the individual
data subject for his or her own records shall be processed both under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act (PA).
