Return to Sender

Nat'l Archives & Records Admin., The FOIA Ombudsman, Sept. 6, 2017

As you might be aware if you regularly read our blog (or if you check our mediation program quarterly performance statistics), the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 created a surge in requests for our assistance. We have also received many submissions intended for other federal agencies – including misdirected appeals, certifications of identity, and other sensitive personal information.  Initially, we attempted to pass along all of these misdirected documents to the intended agency. We became concerned, however, that our practice might delay the transmission of the information to the correct agency and potentially place sensitive personal information at risk. To address these concerns, we will now to alert the requester of the error immediately and advise them to contact the agency directly.

Read more here.