29 CFR § 71.3 - Responses by components to requests for access to records.

(a) In general. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the component that:

(1) First receives a request for access to a record, and

(2) Has possession of the requested record is the component ordinarily responsible for responding to the request.

(b) Authority to grant or deny requests. The head of a component, or his designee (i.e. disclosure officer), is authorized to make an initial grant or denial of any request for access to a record in the possession of that component.

(c) Processing of requests for access not properly addressed. A request for access that is not properly addressed as specified in § 71.2 shall be forwarded to the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, who shall forward the request to the appropriate component or components for processing. A request not addressed to the appropriate component will be deemed not to have been received by the Department until the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management has forwarded the request to the appropriate component which has the record and that component has received the request. When the component receives an improperly addressed request, it shall notify the requester of the date on which it received the request. Accordingly, a request for access shall be deemed received on the date that it is received in the appropriate component.

(d) Date for determining responsive records. In determining the extent to which records are responsive to a request for access, a component ordinarily will include only those records within the component's possession and control as of the date of its receipt of the request.

(e) First party requests. A request for access by the individual data subject for his or her own records shall be processed both under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act (PA).