Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

This page is intended to facilitate your efforts to obtain public information about the Administration for Community Living and its programs. 

If you are a reporter working on a story, our media team may be able to help you more quickly. You can reach them at: aclinfo@acl.hhs.gov or 202-357-3507.

Please read before you submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The FOIA allows you to access information from the federal government. ACL, like all federal agencies, must disclose information under the FOIA, unless it falls under one of nine exemptions.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the HHS Freedom of Information Regulations (45 CFR Part 5), it is the policy of the ACL FOIA Office to respond to all written or electronically submitted requests for records that exist at the time that the request is made.

Please Note: Agencies are not required to answer questions posed as FOIA requests, nor are they required to respond to requests by creating records.

Only Freedom of Information Officers have the authority to release or deny records or to waive or reduce fees. 

How to Make a FOIA Request

Before making a request, first search this website to see if the information is already publicly available.

You have may submit a FOIA request by mail or email. Providing the request in writing assures that all the rights provided by the FOIA and regulations are protected (for example, the right to administratively appeal any denials we may make and the right to have our decisions reviewed in federal court).

Requests submitted online will be received by the FOIA officer most quickly and ensure all required information is included.

What Should be Included in your Request?

Please provide a clear, concise description of the records/documents you are seeking. The more information you provide, the greater the likelihood of finding the records you are seeking.

Be sure your request includes:

• Your name, phone number, full mailing address, and email address. This information allows us to reach you faster if we have any questions about your request.
• State your willingness to pay fees, and/or the maximum amount of fees you are willing to pay.
• If sent by mail, include “FOIA Request" on both the envelope and on your letter.

The following will also help us find the records:

• Subject, title, and/or likely location of those records;
• Approximate date(s) when the records/documents were created;
• Offices or individual involved; and
• Author, recipient, or other reference number, if available.

Your request should include all the details possible in order to help us identify and locate the records you want. In addition to having the potential to be very costly in terms of fees, “all the records you have on …” types of requests tend to require a great deal of search time, even if few or no records are found on the subject you are interested in. If you are not sure how to write your request or what details to include, contact the Freedom of Information Officer.

Electronic Reading Room

Policy Statements

• HHS Policy for Records Management
• ACL Policies and Regulations
• HHS Policy on Data Collection Standards for Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Primary Language, and Disability Status

Other Resources

• Departmental Appeals Board Final Opinions
• HHS Administrative Manual
• HHS Agency Reading Room
• Federal Register
• Code of Federal Regulations
• Public and Private Laws
• United States Code
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Frequently Requested Records

• None to date

ACL FOIA Reports

All ACL reports are incorporated into HHS Reports from FY 2013 on.

• FY 2012 (DOC, 101KB)
• FY 2011 (PDF, 63KB)
• FY 2010 (PDF, 67KB)
• FY 2009 (PDF, 72KB)
• FY 2008 (DOC, 133KB)
• FY 2007 (DOC, 63KB)
• FY 2006 (DOC, 73KB)
• FY 2005 (DOC, 73KB)
• FY 2004
• FY 2003
• FY 2002
• FY 2001