Get Please Be Specific With Your Request And The Amount Of Money You Are Requesting

Track all time and response deadlines carefully. If the agency denies your request or does not respond within the required time period, you can appeal to the agency's FOIA Appeals Officer. If the agency sent you a denial letter, it should set out the agency's appeal procedures.

Requester Best Practices - Filing a FOIA Request Send a question to an agency and expect an answer; or. Make a request that would require an agency to create a new record (such as synthesizing data from multiple sources) or to conduct research; or. Ask an agency to explain the information contained in its records.

Under the FOIA, a component may extend the response time for an additional ten business days when: (1) the component needs to collect responsive records from field offices; (2) the request involves a "voluminous" amount of records which must be located, compiled, and reviewed; or (3) the component must consult with ...

Exemption 1: Information that is classified to protect national security. Exemption 2: Information related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency. Exemption 3: Information that is prohibited from disclosure by another federal law.

No. The sheer size or burdensomeness of a FOIA request, in and of itself, does not entitle an agency to deny that request on the ground that it does not "reasonably describe" records within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(3)(A).

Criteria It must be in writing and signed by the person making the request; It must state that the request is being made pursuant to the FOIA; It must reasonably describe the records being requested; It must state the category of the requester for fee purposes (i.e., commercial, media, educational, all other);

Be as specific as possible in describing the requested records. Include relevant dates, names and descriptions. Specify where to send the records and how you want them sent (e.g., mail, email or fax).

Under the law, all federal agencies are required to respond to a FOIA request within 20 business days, unless there are "unusual circumstances." This time period generally begins when the request is received by the FOIA office of the Department of Justice component that maintains the records sought.