Selective Service System
Freedom of Information Act Report/Improvement Plan
Pursuant to Executive Order 13392
June 2006
I. Basic Information Regarding Plan:
A. Name, title, address, and telephone
number of person to be contacted with questions about the
report:
Richard S. Flahavan, Chief FOIA Officer,
Selective Service System National Headquarters, Arlington, VA 22204-2359, (703) 605-4100
B. Electronic address for report may be
obtained by accessing the Selective Service System (SSS)
Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.sss.gov.
C. A paper copy of this report can be obtained
by writing to the SSS FOIA Requester Service Center at the
address in I.A. above, or by downloading a copy from the
Internet site listed in subparagraph B. above.
II. Nature of SSS FOIA Operations:
A. SSS is a small independent agency of
the federal Executive Branch, operating with permanent authorization
under the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App.
451 et seq.), to serve the emergency manpower needs of the
Department of Defense if conscription becomes necessary.
The Agency remains ready to implement a draft of untrained
manpower or health care professionals if directed by the
Congress and the president to do so in a national crisis.
Its statutory mission also includes being ready to administer
an alternative service program, in lieu of military service,
for men classified as conscientiously opposed to any form
of military service.
B. Information relevant to SSS programs
and policies is available through the SSS website at www.sss.gov.
Additionally, the Agency responds annually to thousands
of written, telephonic and email requests for general SSS
information, registration information specific to an individual,
and historical data all of which is outside the formal FOIA
program.
C. The SSS FOIA program is operated on
a day-to-day basis in a professional and efficient manner
by the Chief FOIA Officer. This individual manages the FOIA
Requester Service Center which received 25 requests during
the last reporting period, FY 2005. 100% were responded
to, averaging six days to process, and 0% were denied or
appealed. FOIA requests are scanned and forwarded to the
appropriate office for action. SSS is pleased to report
that it does not have a backlog of FOIA requests.
III. Areas Selected for Review:
A. Affirmative Disclosure
B. Proactive Disclosure
C. Overall Website Improvement
D. Improvement of FOIA Reference Guide
E. Acknowledgments
IV. Review Results:
A. SSS considered the 27 potential improvement
areas listed in Executive Order 13392 Implementation Guidance.
Twenty-two of the potential improvement areas were determined
to be acceptable in current practice based upon performance
evaluation or not warranted for review because of the small
number of requests received by the Agency.
B. Of the five areas selected for closer
review, one – acknowledgments – also was determined
to be acceptable or not warranted. Records Officer reports
little or no follow-up inquiries such that current high
level of responsiveness obviates need for separate acknowledgment
letters – answer to the requester was dispatched on
average in a mere six days or less: the acknowledgment would
arrive just immediately prior to the answer itself.
V. Areas Selected for Improvement:
A. Affirmative Disclosure
- Goal. Evaluate additional Agency records
and documents to determine which should be placed on the
Agency website for direct public access.
- Actions
- Survey staff offices for applicable records and
documents.
- Scan applicable records and documents as PDF files.
- Place records and documents on FOIA pages of SSS
website.
- Milestones
- Complete Action 1 by 31 Dec 06
- Finish Action 2 by 31 Mar 07
- Accomplish Action 3 by 30 Jun 07
- Measures
- Compare completion of actions to milestone dates.
- Annual review of records and documents created during
the previous year.
-
B. Proactive Disclosure
-
Goal. Add to website
searchable information addressing those areas which are
queried most frequently by the public.
-
Actions.
- Survey staff offices for applicable records and documents.
- Scan applicable records and documents as PDF files.
- Load records and documents on FOIA pages of SSS website.
-
Milestones.
- Complete Action 1 by 31 Dec 06
- Finish Action 2 by 1 Mar 07
- Accomplish Action 3 by 30 May 07
-
Measures.
- Compare completion of actions to milestone dates.
- Annual review of records and documents created
during the previous year to validate retention.
C. Overall Website Improvement
-
Goal. Evaluate the
look, feel, and content of the SSS website based upon
user feedback and contractor input, always mindful of
relevant data and ease of navigation by the public.
-
Actions.
-
Review periodically the SSS website
to identify sections warranting update.
-
Assess visual presentation of website,
in consultation with SSS webmaster, and employ format
changes to better assist potential requesters.
-
Monitor public/user feedback to
foster clarity and user-friendly site.
-
Milestones.
-
Complete Action 1 quarterly (30
Sep 06, 31 Dec 06, 31 Mar 07, 30 Jun 07, 30 Sep 07)
-
Complete Action 2 as necessary,
but at least annually
-
Accomplish Action 3 as feedback
is provided
-
Measures.
-
Compare completion of actions
to milestone dates.
-
Appropriate adjustments are tracked
and applied as they become known to FOIA staff.
D. Improvement of FOIA Reference
Guide
- Goal. Rewrite and post on SSS website
an FOIA Reference Guide to increase public awareness of
FOIA processing.
- Actions.
- Benchmark other federal agency examples of FOIA Reference
Guides.
- Author a FOIA Reference Guide tailored to the SSS
FOIA program incorporating government-wide best practices.
- Load Reference Guide on FOIA pages of SSS website.
- Milestones.
- Complete Action 1 by 15 Sep 06
- Finish Action 2 by 31 Oct 06
- Accomplish Action 3 by 15 Dec 06
- Measures.
- Compare completion of actions to milestone dates.
- Annual review of Reference Guide for currency.
VI. Summary:
While the processes currently utilized by
SSS to implement FOIA are efficient, we recognize that opportunities
exist for enhancing services provided to the public. Based
upon our previous efforts and those envisioned in this plan,
the Selective Service System will be postured better to maximize
the quality of service it provides under FOIA and thereby
ensure expanded customer satisfaction.
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