45 C.F.R. § 5.31 Designation of authorized officials.
Title 45 - Public Welfare
(a) Freedom of Information Officers. To provide coordination and consistency in responding to FOIA requests, only Freedom of Information Officers have the authority to release or deny records. These same officials determine fees. (1) HHS Freedom of Information Officer. Only the HHS Freedom of Information Officer may determine whether to release or deny records in any of the following situations: (i) The records you seek include records addressed to or sent from an official or office of the Office of the Secretary, including its staff offices, or of any Regional Director's Office; (ii) The records you seek include any records of the Office of Human Development Services, the Family Support Administration, or any organizational unit of HHS not specifically indentified below; or (iii) The records include records of more than one of the major units identified below (PHS, CMS, and SSA) either at headquarters or in a Regional Office. (2) PHS Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the Public Health Service or if the records you seek involve more than one health agency of the Public Health Service, including its records in the regions, only the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Communications), who also is the PHS Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records, except as follows: (i) CDC and ATSDR Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the Centers for Disease Control and/or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, only the Director, Office of Public Affairs, CDC, who also is the CDC and ATSDR Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (ii) FDA Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the Food and Drug Administration, only the Associate Commissioner for Public Affairs, FDA, who also is the FDA Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (iii) NIH Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the National Institutes of Health, only the Associate Director of Communications, HIH, who also is the NIH Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (iv) HRSA Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the Health Resources and Services Administration, only the Associate Administrator for Communications, HRSA, who also is the HRSA Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (v) ADAMHA Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration, only the Associate Administrator for Communications and Public Affairs, ADAMHA, who is also the ADAMHA Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (vi) IHS Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the Indian Health Service, only the Director of Communications, IHS, who also is the IHS Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (3) SSA Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of the Social Security Administration, including its records in the regions, only the Director, Office of Public Inquiries, SSA, who also is the SSA Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (4) CMS Freedom of Information Officer. If the records you seek are exclusively records of theCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including its records in the regions, only the Director, Office of Public Affairs, CMS, who also is the CMS Freedom of Information Officer, may determine whether to release or deny the records. (b) Delegations. Any of the above Freedom of Information Officers may delegate his or her authority to release or deny records and to determine fees. Any such delegation requires the concurrence of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. (c) Addresses and telephone numbers. The addresses and telephone numbers of the Freedom of Information Officers are listed below. Freedom of Information Officers
HHS Freedom of Information Officer, Room 645–F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20201, Tel: (202) 472–7453 SSA Freedom of Information Officer, Room 4–H–8, Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235, Tel: (301) 965–3962 CMS Freedom of Information Officer, Room 100, Professional Building, Office of Public Affairs, 6660 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21207, Tel: (301) 966–5352 PHS Freedom of Information Officer, Room 13–C–24, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Tel: (301) 443–5252 FDA Freedom of Information Officer, HFW–35, Room 12A16, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Land, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Tel: (301) 443–1813 NIH Freedom of Information Officer, National Institutes of Health, Building 31, Room 2B39, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, Tel: (301) 496–5633 CDC Freedom of Information Officer, Centers for Disease Control, 1600 Clifton Road, NE., Atlanta, Georgia 30333, Tel: (404) 329–3286 HRSA Freedom of Information Officer, Room 14–43, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Tel: (301) 443–2086 ADAMHA Freedom of Information Officer, Room 12–C–15, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Tel: (301) 443–3783 IHS Freedom of Information Officer, Room 5–A–39, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Land, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Tel: (301) 443–1397.
Title 45: Public Welfare
PART 5—FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REGULATIONS
Subpart C—Release and Denial of Records
§ 5.31 Designation of authorized officials.
