Prior to submitting a request for documents through FOIA, you may want to search our Electronic Reading Room which contains documents of interest.

The Department of the Navy (DON), Office of Civilian Human Resources (OCHR) is available to assist you in locating documents on OCHR programs and policies, and in making Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)(5 USC 552) requests for DON civilian personnel records.

Generally the best way to get personnel records is to send a FOIA request to the regional Human Resource Service Center (HRSC) that maintains the records:

• HRSC East
  Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Bldg. 17
  Portsmouth, VA 23709
  Phone: (757) 396-7891
  Fax: (757) 396-2499
• HRSC Northeast
  700 Robbins Avenue, Bldg 9
  Philadelphia, PA 19111-5098
  Phone: (215) 697-0260
  Fax: (215) 697-0258
• HRSC Northwest
  3230 NW Randall Way
  Silverdale, WA 98383
  Phone: (360) 315-8043
  Fax: (360) 315-8026
• HRSC Southeast
  9110 Leonard Kimble Rd.
  Stennis Space Center, MS 39522
  Phone: (228) 871-2515
  Fax: (228) 871-3719
• HRSC Southwest
  525 B Street, Suite 600
  San Diego, CA 92101
  Phone: (619) 615-5565
  Fax: (619) 615-5566

Requests for documents on programs and policies should be sent to:

OCHR FOIA Requester Service Center
614 Sicard Street, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20374
Phone: (202) 685-6411
Fax: (202) 685-6616

In whatever form you submit your request (in person, by regular mail, or fax):

• Label your request “FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST”.
• Describe the specific record(s) you want in enough detail that a knowledgeable official may locate them with a reasonable amount of effort, including descriptive information, time-frame to be searched, etc. Most records are not retained permanently, so the more information provided, the better we can determine if the records still exist (and where). FOIA states that records must exist at the time the request is submitted to be considered.
• State your willingness to pay all fees or those up to a specified amount, or provide a justification to support a fee waiver. Agreements to pay fees are considered to be up to $250, unless another amount is specified. Currently we charge search, review (for commercial requesters only), and duplication costs.
• Include your complete postal service address on your request.

For questions about the processing of your request, contact the HRSC directly before contacting the OCHR FOIA Requester Service Center. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can reach the DON Chief FOIA Liaison Officer at 202-685-6411

DON’s FOIA policy is contained in the Department of the Navy Freedom of Information Act Program, Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5720.42F (SECNAVINST 5720.42F). Additional FOIA information may be found at the Department of the Navy Freedom of Information Act Office.