§ 9800.6 - Requirements for making requests.

§ 9800.6 Requirements for making requests.

(a) Requesters may make a request for CIGIE records by writing directly to the CIGIE FOIA Officer through electronic mail, mail, delivery service, or facsimile. The electronic mail address is: [e-mail]. For mail or delivery service, the mailing address is: FOIA Officer, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, 1717 H Street NW., Suite 825, Washington, DC 20006. The facsimile number is: [phone]. CIGIE's FOIA Reference Guide, which is available on CIGIE's Web site, http://www.ignet.gov, provides additional information regarding submitting a request.

(b) Requests must be sent to the official CIGIE FOIA mailboxes that are established for the purpose of receiving requests. A request that is sent to an individual employee's mailbox or directly to a CIGIE standing committee address - other than for IC records - will not be considered a perfected request. Mailbox addresses designated to receive requests are identified in paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) CIGIE will not consider an improperly addressed request to have been received for purposes of the 20-day time limit of § 9800.7 until it is actually received by CIGIE at one of the locations specified in paragraph (a) of this section.

(d) Requests must be made in writing, and should contain the phrase “FOIA Request” on the front of the envelope or on the cover sheet of the facsimile transmittal.

(e) Requests must include the requester's full name and a legible return address. Requesters may include other contact information as well, such as a telephone number and an electronic mail address.

(f) A request must describe the records sought in enough detail to enable CIGIE personnel to locate them with reasonable effort. A requester should include as much specific information as possible regarding dates, titles, names of individuals, and names of agencies or other organizations that may help identify the records. Wide ranging requests that lack specificity or that contain broad descriptions of subject matters without reference to specific records, may be considered “not reasonably described” and therefore not subject to further processing.

(g) If CIGIE determines that a request does not reasonably describe the records, the agency will inform the requester and provide the requester with an opportunity to modify the request. The “date of receipt” in such cases shall be the date of receipt of the modified request.

(h) The time limit for processing the request will be tolled while any fee issue is not resolved. If CIGIE anticipates that the fees for processing the request will exceed the amount that the requester has stated he or she is willing to pay, or will amount to more than $25.00, the agency will notify the requester. In such cases, the agency will require the requester to agree in writing to pay the estimated fee.

(i) The requester must meet all of the requirements of this section in order for the request to be perfected. CIGIE will only process perfected requests.