What types of records can I request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?
Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you can request any records that are in an agency’s possession and control and are not in the public domain. Records considered under the public domain are those that could be found in a library or available from a clearinghouse. The FOIA requests for records that may be located at any of the major operating divisions (CDC, FDA, NIH, etc.) should be submitted to the relevant FOIA Requester Service Center. We recommend that before submitting the FOIA request, you first consult the Guide to Information Resources, to determine which component of HHS is most likely to have the records being requested (http://www.hhs.gov/about/infoguid.html#pub). The addresses for HHS FOIA Requester Service Centers can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/foia/contacts/index.html. Each FOIA Service Center webpage includes the direct contact information for the FOIA office for that organization.
