Administrative Operations

FOIA Office

Freedom of Information Annual Report

I. AGENCY: Program Support Center

REPORT PREPARED BY: Beatríz Flores

TITLE: PHS FOI Specialist

ADDRESS: 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 17A-46, Rockville, Maryland 20857

PHONE NUMBER: 301-443-5252

ELECTRONIC ADDRESS FOR REPORT ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: www.psc.gov/foia/report02.html

ADDRESS FOR PAPER COPIES OF REPORT: Same as above

II. HOW TO MAKE A FOIA REQUEST: (Describe or provide electronic address for instructions in FOIA reference guide)

A. Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all individual agency components and offices that process FOIA requests (do not include coordinating offices; do not use persons' names - only titles):
Public Health Service
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 17A-46
Rockville, Maryland 20857

B. Brief description of agency's response time range(s): Simple requests, 35 day from date of receipt; complex requests, 60 days and expedited processing requests, 4 days.

C. Brief description of why some requests are not granted: (e.g. Documents requested were protected by an exemption and release would have caused harm to the interest protected by the exemption.)
Release would cause harm to the interest protected by the exemption, information was privileged and release would cause financial harm, requester was referred to appropriate agency which had custody and control of the requested document.

III. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS USED IN REPORT:

A. Agency-specific acronyms or other terms: Program Support Center (PSC)

B. Basic terms (from FOIA UPDATE , Summer 1997): None.

IV. EXEMPTION 3 STATUTES:

A. List of Exemption 3 statutes relied on by the agency during report year: Public Law 104-201, Section 821(b)(m), [41 U.S.C. 253b(m)]

1. Brief description of type(s) of information withheld under each statute: Technical Proposals

2. Has a court upheld the use of each statute? If so, cite example: Not litigated.

V. INITIAL FOIA/PA ACCESS REQUESTS (Include all requests, 3rd or 1st party):

A. Numbers of initial requests (line 1 + line 2 - line 3 = line 4):

1. Number of requests pending at close of preceding fiscal year: 14

2. Number of requests received during reporting fiscal year: 172

3. Number of requests processed during reporting fiscal year: 186

4. Number of requests pending at close of reporting fiscal year: 0
(Enter this number also as Line VII.B.1.)

B. Disposition of Initial Requests:

1. Number granted in full 84

2. Number granted in part 36

3. Number of full and partial denials 42

a. Number of times each FOIA exemption was used:
Exemption 1 - 0
Exemption 2 - 0
Exemption 3 - 3
Exemption 4 - 1
Exemption 5 - 1
Exemption 6 - 2
Exemption 7 - 0
Exemption 8 - 0
Exemption 9 - 0

4. Other reasons for non-disclosure (total) 60

a. no records 41
b. referrals 2
c. request withdrawn 15
d. fee-related reason 0
e. records not reasonably described 0
f. not a proper FOIA request for some other reason 0
g. not an agency record 0
h. duplicate request 2
i. other (specify) 0

VI. APPEALS OF INITIAL DENIALS OF FOIA/PA REQUESTS (include all access requests whether first or third party):

A. Numbers of Appeals: NOT APPLICABLE

1. Number of appeals received during the fiscal year

2. Number of appeals processed during the fiscal year

B. Disposition of Appeals:

1. Number completely upheld

2. Number partially reversed

3. Number completely reversed

a. Number of times each FOIA exemption used (counting each
exemption used once per appeal)
Exemption 1
Exemption 2
Exemption 3
Exemption 4
Exemption 5
Exemption 6
Exemption 7
Exemption 7(A)
Exemption 7(B)
Exemption 7 (C )
Exemption 7(D)
Exemption 7(E)
Exemption 7(F)
Exemption 8
Exemption 9

4. Other reasons for non-disclosure (total)

a. no records
b. referrals
c. request withdrawn
d. fee-related reason
e. records not reasonably described
f. not a proper FOIA request for some other reason
g. not an agency record
h. duplicate request
i. other (specify)

VII. COMPLIANCE WITH TIME LIMITS/STATUS OF PENDING REQUESTS:

A. Median Processing Time for Requests Processed During the Year.

1. Simple Requests (if multiple tracks used):
a. number of requests processed 136
b. median number of days to process 35

2. Complex Requests (specify for any and all tracks used):
a. number of requests processed 50
b. median number of days to process 60

3. Requests Accorded Expedited Processing:
a. number of requests processed 0
b. median number of days to process 0

B. Status of Pending Requests (if multiple tracks are being used, report for each track as well as totals).

1. Number of requests pending as of the end of the fiscal year covered in this report (from Line V.A.4) 0

2. Median number of days that such requests were pending as of
that date 0

VIII. COMPARISONS WITH PREVIOUS YEARS (Optional):

IX. COSTS/FOIA STAFFING:

A. Staffing levels:

1. Number of full-time FOIA personnel 0

2. Number of personnel with part-time or occasional FOIA duties (in total work-years 1

3. Total number of personnel (in work years) 1

B. Total costs (including staff and all resources):

1. FOIA processing (including appeals) $55,215

2. Litigation-related activities (estimated) $0

3. Total costs $55,215

4. Comparison with previous year(s) (including percentage of change) (optional)

X. FEES:

A. Total amount of fees collected by agency for processing requests: $154.75

B. Percentage of total costs: .002%

XI. FOIA REGULATIONS (including fee schedule):

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