Book Description

This handbook is intended to assist you in making Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for Department of Defense (DoD) records. It will get you started and provide you with a brief description of your rights and the manner in which DoD will respond to your requests. The information contained herein is not intended to be definitive or exhaustive. The FOIA, which is known by its legal cite as 5 U.S.C. section 552, along with the DoD Regulation, governs how requests will be processed within the DoD. DoD Regulation 5400.7-R, "Department of Defense Freedom of Information Act Program," can be found at Part 286 of Chapter 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which is available in most libraries. Due to its size and complexity, the DoD's FOIA program is decentralized among the several DoD components, which operate their own FOIA offices and respond directly to the public for their own records. If you desire records from these components, please write to them directly. This handbook answers the following Frequently Asked Questions: What is the FOIA?; Who can file a FOIA request?; Who is subject to the FOIA and what type of information can be requested?; What is a record?; How do I file a FOIA request?; Can I ask for expedited processing?; What are the reasons for not releasing a record?; What are the FOIA exemptions?; Can I appeal a denial?; How long will it take for my request to be processed?; and Do I have to pay for a FOIA request?