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FOIA
Guide to Information Resources
Administration on Aging
Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, D.C. 20201
How to Request
Information from AoA Under FOIA
In accordance with the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) and the HHS Freedom of Information Regulations (45 CFR Part
5), the AoA policy is to answer all requests as accurately and
completely as possible
from existing records. In order to accomplish this most efficiently we
require all requests to be submitted in writing, by postal service,
facsimile, or messenger;
requests must contain the requestor's postal address and the name of the
person responsible for paying any fees that may be charged. A
phone number where we
can reach the requester to get clarification of the request or resolve
other issues concerning the request, is strongly recommended.
Providing the request
in writing assures that all the rights provided by the FOIA and these regulations
are protected (for example, the right to administratively appeal any denials
we may make and the right to have our decisions reviewed in Federal court).
A copy of the current HHS Freedom Of Information Regulations and available
HHS FOIA annual reports can be obtained from the HHS Freedom Of Information
Office (see addresses below).
If you are unable to locate the information you seek online
or to obtain it from one of the resources listed elsewhere in
this guide, please address your request to the AoA Freedom Of
Information Officer
Your letter should include all the details possible in order
to help us identify and locate the records you want. In addition
to having the potential to be very costly in terms of fees, "all
the records you have on . . . ." types of requests tend to require
a great deal of search time, even if few or no records are found
on the subject you are interested in. If you are not sure how
to write your request or what details to include, contact a Freedom
of Information Officer.
Only Freedom of Information Officers have the authority to
release or deny records, or to waive or reduce fees if: the records
you seek include records addressed to, sent from, or created
by an official or office of the Administration on Aging, including
its component units, or of any AoA Regional Office.
AoA
and HHS Freedom of Information Officers:
Administration on Aging (AoA)
Freedom of Information Officer
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 202-357-3540
Department of Health and Human Services
Freedom of Information Officer
Room 645-F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 202-690-7453
Administration on Aging (AoA) -- http://www.aoa.gov --
202-619-0724 (Public Inquiries)
For information on services available to elderly persons
in any community in the Nation, call the Eldercare Locator,
800-677-1116.
Other HHS Information
For
other sources of health and human services information, see http://www.healthfinder.gov accessible
from the HHS Web site http://www.hhs.gov.
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