(a) Acknowledgement. (1) The Chief FOIA Officer acknowledges all FOIA requests in writing within ten business days after the Agency's receipt of the request. The acknowledgement email or letter restates the FOIA request and provides the requester with the request's tracking number.

(2) If the Chief FOIA Officer requires clarification to process the FOIA request, the Chief FOIA Officer will contact the requester either via email, U.S. postal mail, or phone call. The Chief FOIA Officer will attempt to contact requesters twice. If the Chief FOIA Officer does not receive a response to their clarification attempts within 30 calendar days from the date of the first contact to the requester, the Chief FOIA Officer will close the FOIA request due to insufficient information.

(b) Perfected requests. FOIA requests are considered “perfected,” i.e., the 20-business day statutory time begins, when the request meets the requirements of the proper FOIA request listed in § 1662.6. There may be times that the Chief FOIA Officer requires more information from the requester after perfecting a request. The 20-business day period may be extended in unusual circumstances by written notice to the requester. See paragraph (e) of this section.

(c) Expedited processing. Unless granted expedited processing, the Chief FOIA Officer processes FOIA requests according to a first-in, first-out basis. See § 1662.12 for information on expedited processing.

(d) Multi-tracking procedures. FOIA requests are categorized as either simple or complex, depending on the nature of the request and the estimated processing time:

(1) Simple. For most non-expedited requests, the Chief FOIA Officer makes a determination about release of the record(s) requested within 20 business days.

(2) Complex. The Chief FOIA Officer will place into a complex processing queue any request that cannot be completed within 20 business days due to unusual circumstances. The Chief FOIA Officer notifies requesters in writing if it is necessary for SSS to take additional time to process a request and of the requester's right to seek dispute resolution services with the OGIS. See § 1662.15.

(e) Unusual circumstances. (1) Unusual circumstances exist when there is a need to:

(i) Search for and collect records from SSS components or locations that are separate from National Headquarters;

(ii) Search for, collect, and review a voluminous number of records that are part of a single request; and/or

(iii) Consult with two or more SSS components or another agency having substantial interest in the request before releasing the records.

(2) Within the unusual circumstances letter to the requester, the Chief FOIA Officer will provide an estimated date that they will contact the requester with the applicable fee notice and/or further correspondence. The Chief FOIA Officer will also advise the requester that they may modify or narrow the scope of their request.

(f) Fee notice. FOIA requesters are issued a fee notice from the Chief FOIA Officer that informs them of the estimated search and review time associated with processing their FOIA request. For more information on fees, see § 1662.13.

(g) Tolling. (1) The Chief FOIA Officer may stop or toll the 20 business days in two circumstances:

(i) The Chief FOIA Officer may stop the clock one time if they require additional information regarding the specifics of the request; and

(ii) The Chief FOIA Officer may stop the clock as many times as needed regarding fee assessments.

(2) The processing time will resume upon the Chief FOIA Officer's receipt of the requester's response. There may be instances when the Chief FOIA Officer requires multiple clarifications on a FOIA request. After the first request for clarification, any additional clarifications are performed without tolling the clock. Should the requester not respond to any correspondence wherein the Chief FOIA Officer requests clarification, or should the correspondence be returned as undeliverable, the Agency reserves the right to administratively close the FOIA request if the Chief FOIA Officer does not receive a response within 30 business days of the date of their correspondence requesting clarification.

(h) Retrieving records. The Agency is required to furnish copies of records only when they are in the Agency's possession or SSS can retrieve them from storage. The Federal government follows National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) rules on record retention. Records are retained or destroyed under the guidelines of the Federal Records Act.

(i) Unproductive searches. SSS will search for records to satisfy a request using methods that can be reasonably expected to produce the requested records. Nevertheless, the Agency may not be able to find the records requested using the information provided by the requester, or they may not exist. If the Chief FOIA Officer advises that SSS is unable to find the records despite a diligent search, the requester may appeal the no records determination to the Director of Selective Service, as described in § 1662.16.

(j) Furnishing records. The Chief FOIA Officer will provide the requester with the record(s) requested unless disclosure would harm an interest protected by a FOIA exemption or disclosure is prohibited by law. When information within a responsive record(s) is exempt from disclosure, the information is redacted and the applicable FOIA exemption(s) are noted within the redacted cell. The Chief FOIA Officer will make reasonable efforts to provide the records in the form or format requested if the record is readily reproducible in that form or format. The Chief FOIA Officer may provide individual records as the Agency processes them on a rolling basis, or the Chief FOIA Officer may release all responsive records once the request is completed. See § 1662.14 for more information on the release of records by SSS.