Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0250-07-07-.03 - PROCEDURES FOR ACCESS TO RECORDS
(1) Access to
sealed records, sealed adoption records, or post-adoption records shall be
granted by the Department to an eligible person as provided pursuant to this
Chapter when such person's identity has been verified and such records exist. A
person seeking access to sealed records, scaled adoption records, or
post-adoption records as an eligible person pursuant o this Chapter shall file
a written request with the Department's post-adoptions unit in care of:
Tennessee Department of Children's Services
Post Adoption Services
436 6th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243-1290
(2) Requests for searches will be processed
on a first come, first serve basis in the order of receipt and after all other
pending search requests Filed oil or before June 30, 1995 under prior
Departmental procedures pursuant to T.C.A.
§ 36-1-139-14
1 as those code sections existed on that date, unless the Department, in its
sole discretion, determines that life threatening or medically terminal
circumstances involving the requesting party warrant taking a particular
request out of order, which reason shall be noted in the post adoption
record.
(3) No search for or
authorization for access to records shall be processed or copies of records
provided until the fees required by 0250-7-7-.04 have been paid or a fee waiver
determination required by 0250-7-7-.04 has been completed unless the Department
shall determine, in its sole discretion, that access should be provided prior
to payment of the fee or the fee waiver determination because of a life
threatening medical emergency affecting the health, safety, or welfare of any
person(s) or because of a medically terminal circumstance involving the
requesting party.
(4)
(a) When a preliminary determination of
eligibility indicates that die adoption was finalized on or after March 16,
1951 and/or a record was not maintained by Tennessee Children's Home Society,
the Department will notify the requesting party.
(b) Notification will include an explanation
of the Department's preliminary findings, an explanation of available services
and (he fee for the opening or the scaled record or the sealed adoption record
to further verify eligibility.
(5) Any courts, licensed or chartered
child-placing agencies or information sources who are requested by any person
who may be eligible for access to records pursuant to this Chapter to release
information from any closed records related to the person's adoption or which
were maintained by the Tennessee Children's Home Society must receive
authorization for release of information from the post adoptions unit of the
Department; provided this shall not be construed to preclude the opening of
such records by court order as provided by law.
(6) The post adoption unit staff will review
all records prior to their release to the adopted person or other eligible
persons to determine eligibility of the person requesting to have access to the
record and to verify the individual's identity and relationship to the adopted
person.
(7)
(a) When review of the record reveals that
information in the records pertains to other individuals not a party to the
adoption or placement or, or maintenance of a record about, an adopted person,
or other eligible persons requesting the records, and the review demonstrates
to the Department that the record has apparently been misfiled, that
information will be reviewed by the Director of Adoptions and such information
will be removed and filed in the correct sealed record, sealed adoption record
or post-adoption record or in a new sealed record created for the holding of
such information.
(b) Home studies
pertaining to foster and/or adoptive parents will be removed from the sealed or
sealed adoption records prior to the review and/or copying of the record for
the eligible person.
(c)
Information relating to the counseling of a biological mother regarding crisis
pregnancy counseling will be removed from the scaled record or scaled adoption
records prior to the review and/or copying of the record for the eligible
person.
(8)
(a) Records may be opened by the Department
to determine relationship of the adopted person and other eligible persons
requesting access to tile records.
(b) Proof of relationship may be shown by any
satisfactory evidence to the Department.
(c) If relationship, verification or
identity, or other facts necessary to permit access to the records cannot be
determined from any information made available to the Department or if other
circumstances pursuant to these rules, including denial or a fee waiver,
require, then the person requesting access shall be notified by the Department
that access to the records has been denied, the person shall be notified or the
basis of denial or access in writing and person may request a fair hearing
pursuant to the Department's rules.
(9) Distribution of photographs
(a) Any photographs contained in the sealed
records of an adoption finalized prior to March 16, 1951 or which exist in any
sealed records from the Tennessee Children's Home Society shall be given to the
adopted person who requests access to the record. Photocopies of such pictures
shall be made for the sealed record or sealed adoption record and a notation
will be made in the sealed record, the sealed adoption record, and in the
post-adoption record stating to whom the photographs were given and the date
such original photographs were removed from the sealed adoption
record.
(b) In the event the
adopted person is deceased, the original photographs will be given to the
lineal descendant who first requests the record following the adoptee's death
and photocopies of the photographs will be made and preserved as stated in
subparagraph (a) above.
(10) Procedure when no sealed record or
sealed adoption record exists under the supervision of the Department.
(a) When no sealed record or sealed adoption
record is on file with the Department, the person making the request for access
to a record in any information source must identify the Tennessee court
believed to have granted the adoption or which had jurisdiction of the adopted
person' s adoption proceeding and/or the Tennessee licensed or chartered
child-placing agency which had made the placement of the adopted person or
which had maintained the person's record.
(b) If the Tennessee agency is no longer in
existence the Department will not conduct a search for the record of that
agency, unless information is provided to the Department which will enable the
Department to locate the record.
(c) When a request for service is received
and the Department has no sealed record or sealed adoption record, the person
requesting the service will be notified. This notification will explain the
services available to search for a record, any additional information which may
be needed for the search, and the fee for the service.
(11) Those persons who, according to the
post-adoption file, have received a copy of their sealed record or sealed
adoption record by court order, but have not had access to the post-adoption
record and/or wish to receive a letter of authorization for information from
any other information sources, will be notified of the services available and
the procedures necessary to access the record, and the fee for such service.
For those eligible persons who have received all records, including sealed
records, sealed adoption records, and post-adoption records and who are only
requesting a letter of authorization, such letter of authorization will be
provided to such persons. No authorization for a release of information from
any other information sources will be provided by the Department until the fee
for service has been received or the fee waiver request has been granted or the
fee waived as otherwise provided herein.
(12) All courts and agencies which are
discovered not to have sent to the Department information which should be apart
of the sealed record or the sealed adoption record after March 16, 1951 and
prior to the effective date of these rules will be asked to send such
information within sixty (60) days of the request for such documents.
(13) When all records have been reviewed by
the eligible person and any copies made, the record will be returned to the
information source; provided, however, the Department will make copies, if
necessary, of all records which are not maintained by the Department or the
Department of General Services, for future reference. The Department will
establish a sealed record or a sealed adoption record to maintain the
information it receives as a result of such circumstance.
(14) Additional requests for access by a
particular person will only be processed every six (6) months unless, in the
Department's sole determination, satisfactory evidence is provided that
warrants further processing of a request for access to records.
Notes
Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-226(b)(2), 36-1-101 et seq., 36-1-102, 36-1-127, 36-1-141(a) and (d), 37-5-101, 37-5-105, 37-5-106, 37-5-112(a), and Public Acts of 1995, Chapter 532, House Bill 406.
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