The Department of Labor has released its annual FOIA report for FY 2023. Here is a summary of the key data:

• Requests received: 14,282 a 1.4 percent decrease from FY 2022, when it received 14.495 requests.

• Requests processed: 14,219, a less than 1 percent decrease from FY 2022, when it processed 14,332 requests.

• Backlog of requests: 1,468, up 12.4 percent from 1,306 at end of FY 2022.

• Appeals received: 199, which is 7,5 percent higher than in FY 2022 (185).

• Appeals processed: 192, which is 4.4 percent lower than in FY 2022 (201)

• Backlog of appeals: 286, the same number at the end of FY 2022.

• Costs: A total of S21.05 million, with $20.25 million in administrative costs and nearly $803k in litigation costs. The department’s total costs in FY 2023 were 14.9 percent higher than its total costs in FY 2022 ($18.32 million).