U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services Fiscal Year 2024 FOIA Annual Report
Download original document:

Document text

Document text
This text is machine-read, and may contain errors. Check the original document to verify accuracy.
1111Ee An official website of the United States government Home</> FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) </foia/index.html> HHS FOIA ReP-orts </foia/reP.orts/index.... Navigate to: HHS Fiscal Year 2024 Freedom of Information Annual Report I. Basic Information Regarding Report 1. Name, title, address, and telephone number of person(s) to be contacted with questions about the Report: Arianne Perkins Director, Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Division Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs United States Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 729H Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 690-7453 2. Electronic address for this report on the World Wide Web: https://www.h hs.gov/fo ia/ re ports/an nu aI-reports/index.htm I </foia/reports/a nnua 1-reports/i ndex. htm I> 3. Address for paper copies of this report Contact Arianne Perkins at the address or telephone number listed above, or at: https://www.hhs.gov/foia/contacts/i ndex.htm I </foia/contacts/index.html> II. Making a FOIA Request 1. HHS and Operating Division Freedom of Information Officers/FOIA Requester Service Centers: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Website: https://www.hhs.gov/foia/index.html </foia/index.html> Freedom of Information Act Officer Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 729H Washington, D.C. 20201 Phone: (202) 690-7453 Administration for Children and Families (ACF): Website: https://acf.gov/foia <https://acf.gov/foia> Freedom of Information Act Officer Mary E. Switzer Building 330 C Street, S.W., Suite 4004 Washington, D.C. 20201 Phone: 1-888-747-1861 Administration for Community Living (ACL): Website: https://acl.gov/FOIA <https://acl.gov/foia> Freedom of Information Act Officer Administration for Community Living 330 C Street, S.W., Room 1000 Washington, D.C. 20201 Phone: 202-795-7377 Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR): Website: http://www. h hs.gov/foia/i ndex.htm I </foia/index.html> Freedom of Information Act Officer Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Suite 729H Washington, D.C. 20201 Phone: (202) 690-7453 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Website: https://www.ahrq.gov/policy/foia/index.html <https://www.ahrq.gov/policy/foia/index.html> Freedom of Information Act Officer Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Suite 729H Washington, D.C. 20201 Phone: (202) 690-7453 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Website: http://www.cdc.gov/foia/ <http://www.cdc.gov/foia/> Freedom of Information Act Officer 1600 Clifton Road, N.E., MS T-01 Atlanta, Georgia 30333 Phone: 770-488-6277 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): Website: https://www.cms.gov/med ica re/regu lations-gu ida nce/legislation/freedom-i nformation-actfoi a-service-center <https://www.cms.gov/med ica re/regulations-gu ida nce/legislation/freedom-i nformation-act-foia-servicecenter> Freedom of Information Act Officer North Building, Room C5-11-06 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, Maryland 21244 Phone: 410-786-5353 Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Website: https://www.fda.gov/regu latory-i nformation/freedom-i nformation <https://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/freedom-information> Freedom of Information Act Officer Division of Freedom of Information Office the Executive Secretariat, OC 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1035 Rockville, Maryland 20857 Phone: 301-796-3900 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Website: https://www.hrsa.gov/foia/ <https://www.hrsa.gov/foia/> Freedom of Information Act Officer 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13-W18 Rockville, Maryland 20857 Phone: 301-443-2865 Indian Health Service (IHS): Website: https://www.ihs.gov/FOIA <https://www.ihs.gov/foia> Freedom of Information Act Officer Division of Regulatory and Policy Coordination Office of Management Services 5600 Fishers Lane, Mailstop 09E70 Rockville, Maryland 20857 Phone: 240-460-3711 National Institutes of Health (NIH): Website: https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-publicliaison/freedom-information-act-office <https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communicationspublic-liaison/freedom-information-act-office> Freedom of Information Act Officer Building 1, Room 344 1 Center Drive, MSC 0188 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0188 Phone: 301-496-5633 Office of the Inspector General (OIG): Website: https://oig.hhs.gov/foia/ <https://oig.hhs.gov/foia/> Freedom of Information Act Officer Wilbur J. Cohen Building, Room 5527 330 Independence Ave, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 Phone: 202-619-2541 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Website: https://www.samhsa.gov/about/laws-regulations-policies/freedom-information-act <https://www.samhsa.gov/about/laws-regu lations-policies/freedom-i nformation-act> Freedom of Information Act Officer 5600 Fishers Lane, 18th Floor Rockville, Maryland 20857 Phone: 240-276-2327 2. Brief description of why some requests are not granted: Documents requested were protected by an exemption and release would have caused harm to the interest protected by the exemption. Information withheld may include home addresses and phone numbers, social security numbers, medical records, proprietary business records, investigatory records, that if released may interfere with open investigations, and drafts of documents. 3. HHS FOIA Regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/cu rrent/title-45/su btitle-A/su bcha pter-A/pa rt-5 <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title- 45/subtitle-a/subchapter-a/part-5> Section Ill: Acronyms, Definitions, and Exemptions 1. Following are definitions of terms used in this report: a. Administrative Appeal- a request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a FOIA determination made by the agency at the initial request level. b. Average Number- the number obtained by dividing the sum of a group of numbers by the quantity of numbers in the group. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the average number is 8. c. Backlog- the number of requests or administrative appeals that are pending at an agency at the end of the fiscal year that are beyond the statutory time period for a response. d. Component - for agencies that process requests on a decentralized basis, a "component" is an entity, also sometimes referred to as an Office, Division, Bureau, Center, or Directorate, within the agency that processes FOIA requests. The FOIA now requires that agencies include in their Annual FOIA Report data for both the agency overall and for each principal component of the agency. e. Consultation - the procedure whereby the agency responding to a FOIA request first forwards a record to another agency or component within the same agency for its review because that other agency has an interest in the document. Once the agency in receipt of the consultation finishes its review of the record, it responds back to the agency or component within the same agency that forwarded it. That agency, in turn, will then respond to the FOIA requester. f. Exemption 3 Statute - a federal statute that exempts information from disclosure and which the agency relies on to withhold information under subsection (b)(3) of the FOIA. g. FOIA Request - a FOIA request is generally a request to a federal agency for access to records concerning another person (i.e., a "third- party" request), or concerning an organization, or a particular topic of interest. FOIA requests also include requests made by requesters seeking records concerning themselves (i.e., "first-party" requests) when those requesters are not subject to the Privacy Act, such as non- U.S. citizens. Moreover, because all first-party requesters should be afforded the benefit of both the access provisions of the FOIA as well as those of the Privacy Act, FOIA requests also include any firstparty requests where an agency determines that it must search beyond its Privacy Act "systems of records" or where a Privacy Act exemption applies, and the agency looks to FOIA to afford the greatest possible access. All requests which require the agency to utilize the FOIA in responding to the requester are included in this Report. Additionally, a FOIA request includes records referred to the agency for processing and direct response to the requester. It does not, however, include records for which the agency has received a consultation from another agency. (Consultations are reported separately in Section XII of this Report.) h. Full Grant- an agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request. i. Full Denial - an agency decision not to release any records in response to a FOIA request because the records are exempt in their entireties under one or more of the FOIA exemptions, or because of a procedural reason, such as when no records could be located. j. Median Number- the middle, not average, number. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the median number is 7. k. Multi-Track Processing- a system in which simple requests requiring relatively minimal review are placed in one processing track and more voluminous and complex requests are placed in one or more other tracks. Requests granted expedited processing are placed in yet another track. Requests in each track are processed on a first in/first out basis. i. Expedited Processing- an agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis when a requester satisfies the requirements for expedited processing as set forth in the statute and in agency regulations. ii. Simple Request - a FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in its fastest (non- expedited) track based on the low volume and/or simplicity of the records requested. iii. Complex Request- a FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in a slower track based on the high volume and/or complexity of the records requested. I. Partial Grant/Partial Denial- in response to a FOIA request, an agency decision to disclose portions of the records and to withhold other portions that are exempt under the FOIA, or to otherwise deny a portion of the request for a procedural reason. m. Pending Request or Pending Administrative Appeal- a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has not taken final action in all respects. n. Perfected Request - a request for records which reasonably describes such records and is made in accordance with published rules stating the time, place, fees (if any) and procedures to be followed. o. Processed Request or Processed Administrative Appeal- a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has taken final action in all respects. p. Range in Number of Days - the lowest and highest number of days to process requests or administrative appeals. q. Time Limits - the time period in the statute for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily twenty working days from receipt of a perfected FOIA request). 2. Following are concise descriptions of the nine FOIA exemptions: a. Exemption 1: classified national defense and foreign relations information b. Exemption 2: information that is related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency c. Exemption 3: information that is prohibited from disclosure by anotherfederal law d. Exemption 4: trade secrets and other confidential business information e. Exemption 5: inter-agency or intra-agency communications that are protected by legal privileges f. Exemption 6: information involving matters of personal privacy g. Exemption 7: records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, to the extent that the production of those records {A) could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, {B) would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, {C) could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, {D) could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source, {E) would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or {F) could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual h. Exemption 8: information relating to the supervision of financial institutions i. Exemption 9: geological information on wells 3. Agency Component Abbreviations Component Abbreviation Component Name OS Office of the Secretary OIG Office of the Inspector General ACL Administration for Community Living ACF Administration for Children and Families CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services FDA Food and Drug Administration HRSA Health Resources and Services Administration IHS Indian Health Service NIH National Institutes of Health SAMHSA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration IV. Exemption 3 Statutes Statute Type of Information Withheld Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component N/A CDC 14 14 N/A CDC 1 1 Identifiable 42 u.s.c. § 242m(d) information for certain research and statistical activities Information regarding 22 u.s.c. § 288a(c) international programs records are immune from search and disclosure Statute Type of Information Withheld Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component CDC 14 CMS 19 Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall Sinkfield v. HUD, No.10885,2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35233, at *13-15 (S.D. Ohio Mar.15, 2012); Margolin v. NASA, No. 41 u.s.c. § Contractor 09-CV-00421, proposals that 2011 WL are in the 1303221,at 4702 possession or *6 (D. Nev. (formerly control of an Mar. 31, at41 executive agency 2011); U.S.C.§ and that have not Hornbostel v. 253b(m) been set forth or U.S. Dep't of (1)) incorporated by the Interior, reference into 305 F. Supp. contracts 2d 21, 30 44 IHS 8 NIH 3 (D.D.C. 2003), summary affirmance granted, No. 03-5257, 2004WL 1900562 (D.C. Cir. Aug. 25, 2004). Statute Type of Information Withheld Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component CDC 5 Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall Legal& Safety Employer Research, 41 u.s.c. § Contractor bid or 2102 proposal (amending information; 41 u.s.c. § 423(a)(l)) source selection information Inc. v. U.S. Dep'tofthe Army, No. 7 Civ. S001748, 2001 WL 34098652,at *3-4 (E.D. OS 2 CDC 8 Cal. May 4, 2001) (d ictum). Certain categories of 42 u.s.c. § 262a(h)(l) information relating to biological agents and toxins u.s.c. § Patient safety 299b-22(a) work product (3) information 42 Civ. Beat L. Ctr. for the Pub. Int. v. 11 CDC, 929 F.3d 1079, 1084-85 (9th NIH 3 CDC 1 Cir. 2019). N/A 1 Statute Type of Information Withheld Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall CDC 2 2 N/A CDC 2 2 N/A CDC 2 2 Case Citation Meyerhoff v. EPA, 958 F.2d 1498, 150002 (9th Cir. 5 u.s.c. § Confidential 13109(a) financial (2) disclosure report (formerly pertaining to at5 u.s.c. certain app. 4§ government 107(a)(2)) employees 1992); Boyd V. Exec. Off. for U.S. Att'ys, 161 F. Supp. 3d 1, 7 (D.D.C. 2015); Seife v. NIH, 874 F. Supp. 2d 248,254 (S.D.N.Y. 2012). Information that 42 u.s.c. § may identify an 300aa- individual who 25(c) received a vaccine Certain biomedical information 42 u.s.c. § 24l(f) about an individual that is gathered or used during the course of biomedical research Statute Type of Information Withheld Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component N/A FDA 1 1 N/A FDA 6 6 N/A FDA 104 104 FDA 5 5 Identity of a device user facility which makes a report 21 u.s.c. § 360i(b)(2) that a device has or may have caused or contributed to the death of a patient of the facility 21 u.s.c. § 350d(a)4 Food Registration Documents Information submitted for 42 u.s.c. § 282(j)(6) publication on clinicaltrials.gov that is not otherwise publicly available Certain information "concerning any 21 u.s.c. § 331(j) method or process which as a trade secret is entitled to protection" Anderson v. HHS, 907 F.2d 936, 950-51 (10th Cir.1990). Statute Type of Information Withheld Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall HRSA 2 2 Nosal v. IRS, 523 F. Supp. 3d 72, 79 (D.D.C. 2021); Church of Scientology v. lRS,484 U.S. 9, 15 (1987) (26 U.S.C.§ 6103); Elec. Certain tax return information, to include Taxpayer 26 u.s.c. Identification §§ 6103, Numbers of third 6105 Parties, and certain tax convention information Priv. Info. Ctr. v. IRS, 910 F.3d 1232, 1237 (D.C. Cir. 2018); Leonard v. U.S. Dep'of Treasury, 590 F. App'x. 141, 143-44 (3d Cir. 2014) (per curiam); Pac. Fisheries, Inc. v. IRS, 395 F. App'x. 438,440(9th Cir. 2010) (unpublished disposition) (26 u.s.c. §§ 6103, 6105). Statute 42 u.s.c. § Type of Information Withheld Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component N/A HRSA 10 10 N/A HRSA 4 4 IHS 7 7 IHS 1 1 National 11137(b) Practitioner Data (1) Bank information Information disclosed by manufacturers or wholesalers wh ich discloses 42 u.s.c. § the identity of a 1396r-8(b) specific (3)(D) manufacturer or wholesaler, or prices charged for drugs by such manufacturer or wholesaler N.Y. Times 25 u.s.c. § 1675(g) Medical quality assurance records Co. v. HHS, 15 F.4th 216, 219 & n.7 (2d Cir. 2021) (per curiam). Yelderv. 28 u.s.c. § 652(d) "[C]onfidential DOD, 577 F. dispute Supp. 2d resolution 342, 347-48 communications" (D.D.C. 2008). Statute Type of Information Withheld Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency overall Case Citation Agency/ component Number of Ti mes Relied upon by Agency/ Component N/A NIH 2 2 NIH 1 1 Plans for 35 u.s.c. § 209(f) development or marketing of a federally owned invention ~ "[T]rade secrets or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential, under the meaning of section 552(b)(4) ofTitle 5, which is obtained in the 15 u.s.c. § 3710a(c) conduct of research or as a result of activities under this chapter," which pertains to cooperative research and development agreements for the purpose of technological and industrial innovation Pub. Citizen Health Rsch. Grp.v.NIH, 209 F. Supp. 2d 37,43,51 (D.D.C. 2002); Delorme Pub. Co., Inc. v. NOAA, 917 F. Supp. 867, 871-72 (D. Me. 1996), appeal dismissed per stipulation, No. 96-1601 (1st Cir. July 8, 1996). Statute Type of Information Withheld Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component N/A NIH 3 3 N/A NIH 1 1 Registration and transfer documentation 7 u.s.c. § for listed 840l(h)(l) biological agents (c) and toxins, and information derived therefrom Certain information that could compromise national security and reveal significant and 42 u.s.c. § not otherwise 247d- publicly known 7e(e)(l)(A) vulnerabilities of existing medical or public health defenses against chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threats Statute Type of Information Withheld Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall OIG 88 88 OS 3 3 Wash. Post 5 u.s.c. § Names of 407 employees who (formerly provide at 5 U.S.C. information or app. 3 § complaints to the 7(b)) Inspector General Co. v. Special Inspector Gen. for Afg. Reconstr., 486 F. Supp. 3d 141,166 (D.D.C. 2020). Information identifying the 42 us.c. § 247d6b(d) location at which materials in the stockpile under subsection (a) of this section are stored N/A Statute Type of Information Withheld Case Citation Agency/ Component Number of Times Relied upon by Agency/ Component N/A OS 5 Total Number of Times Relied upon by Agency Overall 5 Information received by the National Coordinator in connection with a claim or 42 u.s.c. § 300jj-52(d) (2) suggestion of possible information blocking and that could reasonably be expected to facilitate identification of the source of the information V.A. FOIA Requests -- Recieved, Processed and Pending FOIA Requests Agency/ Component Number of Requests Pending as of Start of Fiscal Year Number of Requests Received in Fiscal Year Number of Requests Processed in Fiscal Year Number of Requests Pending as of End of Fiscal Year ACF 1028 754 273 1509 ACL 93 155 157 91 CDC 349 1838 1918 269 CMS 3434 30806 30154 4086 Agency/ Component Number of Requests Pending as of Start of Fiscal Vear Number of Requests Received in Fiscal Vear Number of Requests Processed in Fiscal Vear Number of Requests Pending as of End of Fiscal Vear FDA 4735 11702 12195 4242 HRSA 198 533 427 304 IHS 89 273 254 108 NIH 937 1758 1688 1007 OIG 38 910 628 320 OS 2189 2819 1329 3679 SAMHSA 159 252 248 163 Agency Overall 13249 51800 49271 15778 After reviewing its database, HHS updated the number of requests pending at the start of the Fiscal Year. V.B.(1). Disposition of FOIA Requests -- All Processed Requests Agency/ Component Number of Full Grants Number of Partial Grants/ Partial Denials ACF 15 19 ACL 17 CDC Number of Full Denials Based on Rease Number of Full Denials Based on Exemptions No Records All Records Referred to Another Component or Agency Request Withdraw 0 140 13 18 21 1 24 24 28 255 680 16 304 32 97 CMS 5306 2565 8044 3645 41 1285 FDA 8694 86 212 607 25 1353 Agency/ Component Number of Full Grants Number of Partial Grants/ Partial Denials HRSA 48 57 IHS 62 NIH Number of Full Denials Based on Rease Number of Full Denials Based on Exemptions No Records All Records Referred to Another Component orAgency Request Withdraw 12 35 25 16 92 3 47 2 27 751 234 29 171 0 266 OIG 29 109 111 115 32 178 OS 93 143 25 77 230 282 SAMHSA 14 90 0 92 8 20 15284 4096 8453 5257 432 3570 Agency Overall V.B.(2). Disposition of FOIA Requests -- "Other" Reasons for "Full Denials Based on Reasons Other Than Exemptions" ◄ Agency/ Component Description of "Other" Reasons for Denials from Chart B{l) Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied Upon Total ACF N/A 0 0 ACL N/A 0 0 rnr N/A 0 0 57 57 CMS Unable to Locate or Contact Requester . ► Description of "Other" Reasons for Denials from Chart B{l) Agency/ Component Directed Requester to Another Entity Subject to the FOIA FDA Unable to Locate or Contact 22 Aggregate cases 6 Litigation 7 Directed Requester to Publicly Available Information 88 1 78 70 Aggregate cases Directed Requester to Publicly IHS Total 60 Requester HRSA Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied Upon Available Information 6 6 NIH N/A 0 0 OIG N/A 0 0 Directed Requester to Another Entity Subject to the FOIA OS SAMHSA 8 136 Aggregate cases 128 Aggregate cases 1 1 366 Agency Overall V.B.(3). Disposition of FOIA Requests -- Number of Times Exemptions Applied Agency/ Component Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. 1 2 3 4 5 ACF 0 0 0 0 5 ACL 0 0 0 9 8 Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. 7{A) 7(8) 7{C) 7{D) 19 0 0 5 0 21 0 0 0 0 Ex. 6 Agency/ Component Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. 1 2 3 4 5 Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. 7(A) 7(8) 7(C) 7(D) CDC 0 17 46 283 364 606 4 1 8 1 CMS 0 0 19 567 85 9330 1 143 651 5 FDA 0 2 112 220 51 59 54 1 17 7 HRSA 0 0 16 24 8 50 1 1 2 0 IHS 0 1 15 19 13 58 0 0 3 0 NIH 0 1 13 126 83 214 5 0 13 0 OIG 0 2 88 32 17 116 8 0 77 0 OS 0 3 10 39 57 125 9 0 22 0 SAMHSA 0 0 0 90 0 89 0 0 0 0 0 26 319 1409 691 10687 82 146 798 13 Agency Overall Ex. 6 VI.A. Administrative Appeals of Initial Determinations of FOIA Requests -- Received, J.> r.ocessed anUeDJ · dministr; tive Appeals . Agency/ Component Number of Appeals Pending as of Start of Fiscal Year Number of Appeals Received in Fiscal Year Number of Appeals Processed in Fiscal Year Number of Appeals Pending as of End of Fiscal Year CMS 124 44 59 109 FDA 53 101 79 75 OS 492 290 219 563 Agency Overall 669 435 357 747 After reviewing their databases, CMS, FDA, and OS adjusted the number of appeals pending as of the start of the Fiscal Year. VI.B. Disposition of Administrative Appeals -- All Processed Appeals Agency/ Component Number Affirmed on Appeal Number Partially Affirmed & Partially Reversed/Remanded on Appeal Number Completely Reversed/Remanded on Appeal Number of Appeals Closed for Other Reasons CMS 0 0 1 58 59 FDA 24 12 8 35 79 OS 19 7 66 127 219 43 19 75 220 357 Agency Overall Total VI.C.(1). Reasons for Denial on Appeal -- Number of Times Exemptions Applied Agency/ Component Ex. 1 Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. E 2 3 4 5 6 7(A) 7(8) 7(C) 7(D) i CMS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 C FDA 0 0 0 7 4 12 1 0 1 0 C OS 0 0 0 1 8 8 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 8 12 20 1 0 3 0 1 Agency Overall ◄ ► VI.C.(2). Reasons for Denial on Appeal -- Reasons Other Than Exemptions Agency/ Component No Records Records Referred at Initial Request Level CMS 5 0 29 0 0 9 FDA 5 0 1 0 0 2 OS 3 1 37 14 2 0 13 1 67 14 2 11 Agency Overall Request Withdrawn FeeRelated Reason Records not Reasonably Described Improper Request for Other Reasons • ◄ VI.C.(3). Reasons for Denial on Appeal -- "Other" Reasons Agency/ Component CMS Description of "Other" Reasons for Denial on Appeal from Chart C(2) Unable to Locate or Contact Requester No Component Response to Adjudicate FDA Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied Upon Total 13 13 16 Appeal Withdrawn 12 Moot 7 35 Agency/ Component OS Description of "Other" Reasons for Denial on Appeal from Chart C(2) Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied Upon Agency Performed Adequate Search 3 Moot 14 Total 28 No Component Response to 8 Adjudicate 3 Untimely 76 Agency Overall VI.C.(4). Response Time for Administrative Appeals Agency/ Component Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days CMS 734 972 12 3038 FDA 94 122 1 562 OS 134.5 355.4 <l 1821 Agency Overall 224.61 405.65 <l 3038 VI.C.(S). Ten Oldest Pending Administrative Appeals 10th Oldest Appeal 9th 8th 7th Date of Appeal 2016-10-28 2016-09-22 2016-09-07 2016 Number of Days Pending 1979 2004 2015 2037 Agency/ Component CMS 10th Oldest Appeal 9th 8th 7th Date of Appeal 2023-06-13 2023-06-06 2023-06-06 2023 Number of Days Pending 325 330 330 343 Date of Appeal 2019-01-08 2018-12-20 2018-12-07 2018 Number of Days Pending 1433 1443 1452 1489 Date of Appeal 2016-09-22 2016-09-07 2016-08-05 2016 Number of Days Pending 2004 2015 2037 2064 Agency/ Component FDA OS Agency Overall VII.A. FOIA Requests -- Response Time for All Processed Perfected Requests Simple ◄ Agency/ Component Complex ,. Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Low Nun ofD ACF 201.5 272.88 2 1367 56 178.98 <1 ACL 2 62.55 <1 739 544.5 470.46 1 CDC 10 17.67 <1 323 26 58.28 <1 CMS 10 12 <1 597 7 44 <1 FDA 9 24 1 1183 57 206 1 HRSA 3 7 <1 129 28 89 <1 IHS 6 25.33 1 30 27 142.453 1 NIH 18 130.84 <1 1103 26 95.65 <1 OIG 10 24.1 <1 142 47 52.97 <1 OS 3 15.27 <1 1433 73 434 <1 Simple Agency/ Component SAMHSA Agency Overall Complex Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Low Nun ofD 2 24 <1 343 113 167 <1 10.00 24.54 <1 1433 21.35 88.46 <1 VII.B. Processed Requests -- Response Time for Perfected Requests in Which Information Was Granted Simple Agency/ Component Complex Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Low Nun ofD ACF 78 136 40 352 421 570.42 6 ACL 52 134.94 <1 537 306 342.48 3 CDC 17 26.38 <1 323 40 78.84 <1 CMS 15 15 <1 153 23 74 <1 FDA 10 24 1 719 54 180 1 -- -, 29 161 171 2 ► ◄ IHS 8 9 1 20 38 186.83 2 NIH 19 103.78 <1 1029 34 102.87 <1 OIG 38.5 47.08 <1 142 47 53.75 <1 OS 12.5 49.80 <1 1433 95.5 277.01 3 SAMHSA 208 208 73 343 222 240 1 Simple Agency/ Component Agency Overall Complex Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Lowest Number of Days Highest Number of Days Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Low Nun ofD 13.40 24.90 <l 1433 40.04 114.92 <l VII.C. Processed Simple Requests -- Response Time in Day Increments ... Agency/ Component <1-20 Days 2140 Days 4160 Days 6180 Days 81100 Days 101120 Days 121140 Days 141160 Days 161180 Days ACF 6 4 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 ACL 57 5 3 3 1 0 1 1 1 CDC 210 60 11 7 3 1 1 2 1 CMS 4794 321 90 8 4 0 1 1 0 FDA 5738 604 190 89 69 64 38 30 18 HRSA 47 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 IHS 84 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NIH 332 71 16 16 6 11 4 5 5 OIG 323 70 55 30 29 9 4 2 0 OS 376 27 31 5 3 3 1 0 0 SAMHSA 27 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 11994 1167 399 162 115 88 51 42 25 Agency Overall ◄ ... • VII.C. Processed Complex Requests -- Response Time in Day Increments Agency/ Component <1-20 Days 2140 Days 4160 Days 6180 Days 81100 Days 101120 Days 121140 Days 141160 Days 161180 Days ACF 84 15 14 2 3 15 9 13 5 ACL 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 CDC 545 233 129 62 64 31 34 12 14 CMS 15205 1223 622 440 329 258 219 185 154 FDA 1525 694 329 194 130 166 132 139 145 HRSA 134 19 19 7 11 9 13 2 12 IHS 47 47 13 7 5 5 1 2 0 NIH 402 178 108 50 37 18 9 10 6 OIG 16 18 28 12 6 4 3 1 0 OS 220 122 30 19 14 11 9 11 8 SAMHSA 65 10 5 13 7 7 2 7 4 Agency Overall 18247 2562 1298 806 606 524 431 384 349 ◄ ► VII.C. Processed Requests Granted Expedited Processing-- Response Time in Day Increments Agency/ Component <120 Days 2140 Days 4160 Days 6180 Days 81100 Days 101120 Days 121140 Days 141160 Days 161180 Days ACF 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 ACL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Agency/ Component <120 Days 2140 Days 4160 Days 6180 Days 81100 Days 101120 Days 121140 Days 141160 Days 161180 Days CDC 5 5 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 CMS 5 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 FDA 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 HRSA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 IHS 7 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 NIH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OIG 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OS 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SAMHSA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Agency Overall 28 14 5 4 2 2 2 0 1 VII.D. Pending Requests --All Pending Perfected Requests ◄ Simple Agency/ Component • Exp, Complex Number Pending Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Number Pending Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Nun Pen ACF 20 116.5 915.6 1476 533.5 679.03 9 ACL 52 33 59.44 37 317 342.73 0 CDC 21 10 55.38 192 37 88.47 1 CMS 468 4 22 3577 93 205 41 FDA 368 92 174 3836 312 455 38 Simple Agency/ Component Exp, Complex Number Pending Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Number Pending Median Number of Days Average Number of Days Nun Pen HRSA 2 80 80 301 139 174 1 IHS 0 N/A N/A 101 207 383.82 0 NIH 316 567 578.41 653 133 276.95 6 OIG 282 79.5 94.03 38 360 300.89 0 OS 1567 33 56.90 1971 742 809.06 42 SAMHSA 0 N/A N/A 163 116 189 0 3096 101.24 127.75 12345 322.43 438.99 138 Agency Overall VII.E. Pending Requests -- Ten Oldest Pending Perfected Requests 10th Oldest Request 9th 8th 7th Date of Receipt 2017-11-13 2017-11-13 2017-11-03 2017 Number of Days Pending 1720 1720 1725 1727 Date of Receipt 2023-01-31 2022-12-22 2022-11-15 2022 Number of Days Pending 419 444 470 503 Date of Receipt 2023-05-26 2023-05-23 2023-05-12 2023 Number of Days Pending 337 340 347 390 Date of Receipt 2017-12-18 2017-12-15 2017-12-15 2017 Number of Days Pending 1696 1697 1697 1740 Agency/ Component ACF ◄ .,.., . CDC CMS 10th Oldest Request 9th 8th 7th Date of Receipt 2015-08-27 2015-08-04 2015-07-24 2015 Number of Days Pending 2273 2290 2297 2332 Date of Receipt 2023-01-25 2023-01-23 2023-01-13 2022 Number of Days Pending 422 423 429 439 Date of Receipt 2020-03-27 2020-01-28 2020-01-07 2019 Number of Days Pending 1046 1171 1187 1194 Date of Receipt 2019-07-15 2019-05-30 2019-05-06 2018 Number of Days Pending 1303 1334 1351 1478 Date of Receipt 2023-02-15 2023-02-07 2023-01-31 2023 Number of Days Pending 407 413 418 427 Date of Receipt 2017-03-08 2017-02-08 2017-02-01 2017 Number of Days Pending 1893 1912 1917 1918 Date of Receipt 2022-08-08 2022-08-01 2022-06-10 2022 Number of Days Pending 537 542 576 590 Date of Receipt 2015-08-04 2015-07-24 2015-06-04 2015 Number of Days Pending 2290 2297 2332 2364 Agency/ Component FDA HRSA IHS NIH OIG OS SAMHSA Agency Overall VIII.A. Requests for Expedited Processing Agency/ Component Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Daysto Adjudicate Average Number of Daysto Adjudicate Number Adjudicated Within Ten Calendar Days ACF 4 2 52 56.66 3 ACL 0 0 N/A N/A 0 Agency/ Component Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Daysto Adjudicate Average Number of Daysto Adjudicate Number Adjudicated Within Ten Calendar Days CDC 19 155 1 1.62 173 CMS 28 119 7 13 110 FDA 1 563 2 2.63 564 HRSA 1 37 5 9 26 IHS 12 21 4 6.25 28 NIH 2 34 14 15.31 11 OIG 0 0 N/A N/A 0 OS 8 41 1 270 37 SAMHSA 0 0 N/A N/A 0 Agency Overall 75 972 3.36 17.52 952 VIII.B. Requests for Fee Waiver Agency/ Component Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Days to Adjudicate Average Number of Days to Adjudicate ACF 0 0 N/A N/A ACL 0 0 N/A N/A CDC 123 159 1 1.62 CMS 72 39 3 9 FDA 0 3 212 153.67 HRSA 67 40 3 6 IHS 68 0 1 1 NIH 20 3 27 116 Agency/ Component Number Granted Number Denied Median Number of Days to Adjudicate Average Number of Days to Adjudicate OIG 0 0 N/A N/A OS 0 8 318 557.75 SAMHSA 0 0 0 0 Agency Overall 350 252 7.98 16.21 IX. FOIA Personnel and Costs Personnel Costs Total Number of "FullTime FOIA Staff" Processing Costs LitigationRelated Costs Agency/ Component Number of "Full-Time FOIA Employees" Number of "Equivalent Full-Time FOIA Employees" ACF 18 15.03 33.03 $2,581,500.00 $439,000.00 ACL 1 0.00 1.00 $181,216.00 $0.00 CDC 24 1.00 25.00 $4,616,980.45 $495,533.68 CMS 36 36.00 72.00 $10,814,302.30 $478,082.97 FDA 159 9.00 168.00 $34,244,000.00 $6,840,000.00 HRSA 5 0.28 5.28 $1,092,457.00 $211,486.00 IHS 2 0.05 2.05 $278,659.90 $6,257.32 NIH 55 2.00 57.00 $6,469,393.22 $1,163,474.29 OIG 3 1.00 4.00 $535,327.00 $133,832.00 OS 31 5.90 36.90 $4,941,247.26 $4,383,356.52 SAMHSA 2 0.00 2.00 $390,401.17 $0.00 Personnel Agency/ Component Agency Overall Costs Number of "Full-Time FOIA Employees" Number of "Equivalent Full-Time FOIA Employees" Total Number of "FullTime FOIA Staff" Processing Costs LitigationRelated Costs 336 70.26 406.26 $66,145,484.30 $14,151,022.78 * The cost figures reported in Section IX represent a rightsizing in terms of how costs are tracked and reported by the Department compared to previous years. X. Fees Collected for Processing Requests Agency/ Component Total Amount of Fees Collected Percentage of Total Costs ACF $0.00 0.0000% ACL $0.00 0.0000% CDC $20,699.12 0.4500% CMS $130,240.66 1.2000% FDA $561,535.75 1.6400% HRSA $2,467.00 0.2300% IHS $0.00 0.0000% NIH $37,843.51 0.5800% OIG $0.00 0.0000% OS $0.00 0.0000% SAMHSA $0.00 0.0000% Agency Overall $752,786.04 1.1400% ◄------------------------- ► XI.A. Number of Times Subsection (C) Used Agency/ Component Number of Times Subsection Used ACF 0 ACL 0 CDC 0 CMS 0 FDA 0 HRSA 0 IHS 0 NIH 0 OIG 0 OS 0 SAMHSA 0 Agency Overall 0 XI.B. Number of Subsection (A)(2) Postings Agency/ Component Number of Records Posted by the FOIA Office Number of Records Posted by Program Offices ACF 1 1 ACL 0 0 CDC 100 0 CMS 7 4751 FDA 2563 2203 HRSA 18 3363668 IHS 19 95 Agency/ Component Number of Records Posted by the FOIA Office Number of Records Posted by Program Offices NIH 0 0 OIG 0 98 OS 5 1377 SAMHSA 0 0 Agency Overall 2713 3372193 XII.A. Backlogs of FOIA Requests and Administrative Appeals Agency/ Component Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of Fiscal Vear Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End of Fiscal Vear ACF 1346 N/A ACL 78 N/A CDC 110 N/A CMS 2640 109 FDA 3893 74 HRSA 258 N/A IHS 83 N/A NIH 838 N/A OIG 277 N/A OS 3020 547 SAMHSA 142 N/A Agency Overall 12685 730 XII.B. Consultations on FOIA Requests -Received, Processed, and Pending Consultations Agency/ Component Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Pending at the Agency asof Start of the Fiscal Year Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies During the Fiscal Year Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Processed by the Agency During the Fiscal Year Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Pending at the Agency as of End of the Fiscal Year ACF 4 29 16 17 ACL 0 0 0 0 CDC 5 115 118 2 CMS 2 9 10 1 FDA 0 83 83 0 HRSA 1 8 9 0 IHS 0 7 7 0 NIH 40 55 28 67 OIG 1 92 83 10 OS 96 227 169 154 SAMHSA 0 0 0 0 149 625 523 251 Agency Overall After reviewing its database, HHS adjusted the number of consults pending as of the start of the Fiscal Year for the following components: CDC, FDA, NIH, and OS. XII.C. Consultations on FOIA Requests -- Ten Oldest Consultations Received From Other Agencies and Pending at the Agency 10th Oldest Consultation 9th 8th 7th Date 2024-02-01 2024-01-05 2023-12-04 2023-11-30 Number of Days 168 186 208 210 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 Date 2022-04-08 2022-04-06 2022-04-04 2022-04-04 Number of Days 620 622 624 624 Date 2024-08-29 2024-08-28 2024-08-27 2024-08-27 Number of Days 21 22 23 23 Agency/ Component ACF ACL CDC CMS FDA HRSA IHS NIH OIG 10th Oldest Consultation 9th 8th 7th Date 2020-09-29 2020-05-26 2020-05-20 2020-02-21 Number of Days 999 1087 1090 1153 Date N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of Days 0 0 0 0 Date 2020-09-29 2020-05-26 2020-05-20 2020-02-21 Number of Days 999 1087 1090 1153 Agency/ Component OS SAMHSA Agency Overall XII.D.(1). Comparison of Numbers of Requests From Previous and Current Annual Report -Requests Received and Processed Number of Requests Received Number of Requests Processed Number Received During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Received During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report ACF 321 754 209 273 ACL 140 155 97 157 CDC 1951 1838 2048 1918 CMS 28579 30806 28894 30154 FDA 10447 11702 10144 12195 HRSA 466 533 339 427 IHS 180 273 210 254 NIH 1716 1758 1699 1688 Agency/ Component Number of Requests Received Number of Requests Processed Number Received During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Received During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report OIG 1077 910 1057 628 OS 1432 2819 2100 1329 SAMHSA 221 252 241 248 Agency Overall 46530 51800 47038 49271 Agency/ Component XII.D.(2). Comparison of Numbers of Requests From Previous and Current Annual Report -Backlogged Requests Agency/ Component Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Previous Annual Report Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report ACF 913 1346 ACL 43 78 CDC 186 110 CMS 2479 2640 FDA 4349 3893 HRSA 167 258 IHS 74 83 NIH 807 838 OIG 33 277 Agency/ Component Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Previous Annual Report Number of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report OS 2066 3020 SAMHSA 139 142 Agency Overall 11256 12685 XII.E.(1). Comparison of Numbers of Administrative Appeals From Previous and Current Annual Report -- Appeals Received and Processed Number of Appeals Received Number of Appeals Processed Number Received During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Received During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual Report Number Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report CMS 29 44 50 59 FDA 150 101 131 79 OS 287 290 230 219 466 435 411 357 Agency/ Component Agency Overall XII.E.(2). Comparison of Numbers of Administrative Appeals From Previous and Current Annual Report -- Backlogged Appeals Agency/ Component Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End of the Fiscal Year from Previous Annual Report Number of Backlogged Appeals as of End of the Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report CMS 124 109 FDA 44 74 OS 472 547 Agency Overall 640 730 Content created by Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Division Content last reviewed February 21, 2025