DSS FOIA & Privacy Act  

Freedom of Information Office (FOIA)

NOTE: Despite the transfer of the investigative mission, DSS will continue with its Central Adjudication Facility (CAF) responsibility to determine the facility and personnel clearance eligibility of contractors and their employees for access to classified information. Accordingly, individuals seeking DSS security clearance adjudication records (interim or final) about themselves should refer to the Privacy Act Website link at the bottom of this page.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (Title 5 United States Code 552, as amended) generally provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, of access to Federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions thereof) are protected from release/disclosure by one of the nine FOIA exemptions or by one of the three special law enforcement record exclusions. The FOIA website provides policies and procedures for the DSS implementation of the FOIA, complete with electronic links to the types and categories of DSS information available.

Due to the transfer of the personnel security investigations (PSI) function to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on February 20, 2005, any request for copies of investigations completed after February 20, 2005, should be mailed to the Office of Personnel Management at: OPM-FIPC, P.O. BOX 618, 1137 Branchton Road, Boyers, PA 16018-0618. DSS only maintains those personnel security investigations completed by the agency prior to the February 20, 2005, transfer of function. Individual's seeking DSS investigative records/documents on themselves which were completed prior to the February 2005, transfer should refer to the Privacy Act link below.

Privacy Act

The purpose of the Privacy Act (PA) (Title 5 United States Code 552a), is to balance the government's need to maintain information about individuals with the rights of those individuals to be protected against unwarranted invasions of their privacy stemming from Federal agencies' collection, maintenance, use, and disclosure of personal information about them. The Privacy Act Website provides an overview on the types of records that can be obtained through a PA request and how an individual can access their DSS records.

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