Subpart B
You must send an emailed FOIA request to the Department of Labor's central FOIA mailbox at foiarequests@dol.gov. The Department requires that any FOIA request submitted electronically by email be sent to the central mailbox so it can be properly routed to the correct component, and FOIA requests sent electronically to any other email address will not be accepted (70.19(a)).
Yes — you may submit a FOIA request in writing by mail, delivery service/courier, or facsimile to the designated mailing address of the component that maintains the records. The Department has a decentralized system, and each component can receive written FOIA requests by those methods (70.19(a)).
You should consult the Department's list of components and their functions and mailing addresses, which is provided in Appendix A and on the Department's FOIA website. The components for FOIA purposes are listed in Appendix A, and the function and mailing address of each component are available on the Department's FOIA Web site (70.19(b)(1)).
You should, whenever possible, write directly to the FOIA office of the component that maintains the records and provide a mailing address (and preferably telephone and email contact information). Identifying the proper component and including contact details facilitates the quickest response (70.19(b)).
If you cannot determine the proper FOIA component or you are requesting records from multiple components, you may send your request to the Office of the Solicitor, Office of Information Services at 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-2420, Washington, DC 20210 or by email to foiarequests@dol.gov. This will allow the Department to assign the request to the appropriate components (70.19(b)(2)).
If you send a FOIA request to the incorrect DOL FOIA component or to the central mailbox without identifying the component(s), the time to respond begins when the request is received by the proper component but no later than 10 working days after receipt in any component listed in Appendix A or the Office of Information Services. This means the response clock starts when the proper component actually receives the request or when 10 working days have passed after receipt by an identified component (70.19(b)(3), 70.25(a)).
You must describe the records sought in enough detail that Department personnel can locate them with a reasonable amount of effort. Useful identifying information includes subject, date or approximate date, title, case or file number, reference number, the person or office that created the record, office location, and any other pertinent details (70.19(c)).
If your description is insufficient so a knowledgeable employee cannot identify the records with reasonable effort, the component processing the request will notify you and describe what additional information is needed. The agency will explain what is missing and what details it needs to proceed (70.19(d)).
You can discuss your request with the component's designated FOIA contact, the FOIA Public Liaison, or a representative of the Office of Information Services for assistance in describing the records sought. These contacts are available to help you identify and locate the records and every reasonable effort will be made to assist you (70.19(d)(1)).
Yes — any amended request must be confirmed in writing and must meet the requirements for a FOIA request under this part. Verbal amendments should be followed up with a written confirmation that satisfies the standard's requirements (70.19(d)(2)).
The processing time limits will be tolled (stopped) one time while the agency awaits your clarification of a deficient request. The clock is paused only once during that clarification period and resumes when the requested clarification is received (70.19(d)(3), 70.25(a)).
You should provide a mailing address to receive correspondence, and it will facilitate processing if you also provide telephone and email contact information. Including these contact details helps FOIA staff reach you quickly for questions or clarifications (70.19(b)).
You may send multi-component requests to the Office of the Solicitor, Office of Information Services by email to foiarequests@dol.gov or by mail to 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-2420, Washington, DC 20210. Using that office ensures your request is assigned to the appropriate DOL components (70.19(b)(2)).