HHS Fiscal Year 2023 Freedom of Information Annual Report

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ANNUAL REPORT — FY 2023

I. BASIC INFORMATION REGARDING REPORT

  1. Name, title, address, and telephone number of person(s) to be contacted with questions about the Report:

    Arianne Perkins
    Director, Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Division
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
    United States Department of Health and Human Services
    200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Suite 729H
    Washington D.C. 20201
    (202) 690-7453

  2. ELECTRONIC ADDRESS FOR THIS REPORT ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB:

    https://www.hhs.gov/foia/reports/annual-reports/index.html

  3. ADDRESS FOR PAPER COPIES OF THIS REPORT

    Contact Arianne Perkins at the address or telephone number listed above, or at: http://www.hhs.gov/foia/contacts/index.html

II. MAKING A FOIA REQUEST

  1. HHS and Operating Division Freedom of Information Officers/FOIA Requester Service Centers:

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):
Website:  http://www.hhs.gov/foia
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Suite 729H
Washington D.C. 20201
Phone: (202) 690-7453

Administration for Children and Families (ACF):
Website: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/foia
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Mary E. Switzer Building
330 C Street, S.W., Room 4004
Washington, D.C.  20201
Phone: 1-888-747-1861

Administration for Community Living (ACL):
Website:  http://www.acl.gov/FOIA
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Administration for Community Living
330 C Street, S.W., Suite 4004
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 202-795-7377

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR):
Website:  http://www.hhs.gov/foia
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Suite 729H
Washington D.C. 20201
Phone: (202) 690-7453

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ):
Website:  https://www.ahrq.gov/policy/foia/index.html
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Suite 729H
Washington D.C. 20201
Phone: (202) 690-7453

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Website:  http://www.cdc.gov/od/foia/
Freedom of Information Act Officer
1600 Clifton Road, N.E., MS T-01
Atlanta, Georgia 30333
Phone: 770-488-6277

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):
Website:  https://www.cms.gov/freedom-information-act-foia-service-center
Freedom of Information Act Officer
North Building, Room C5-11-06
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21244
Phone: 410-786-5353

Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
Website:  http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/freedom-information
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Division of Freedom of Information
Office the Executive Secretariat, OC
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1035
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Phone: 301-796-3900

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA):
Website:  http://www.hrsa.gov/foia/
Freedom of Information Act Officer
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13-N82
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Phone: 301-443-2865

Indian Health Service (IHS):
Website:  http://www.ihs.gov/FOIA
Freedom of Information Act Officer
5600 Fishers Lane, Mailstop 09E70
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Phone: 240-460-3711

National Institutes of Health (NIH):
Website:  http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/foia/
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Building 1, Room 344
1 Center Drive, MSC 0188
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2107
Phone: 301-496-5633

Office of Inspector General (OIG):
Website:  http://oig.hhs.gov/foia/
Freedom of Information Act Officer
Cohen Building, Room 5527
330 Independence Ave, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Phone: 202-619-2541

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
Website:  http://www.samhsa.gov/foia/
Freedom of Information Act Officer
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18E13A
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Phone: 240-276-2327

  1. Brief description of why some requests are not granted: Documents requested were protected by an exemption and release would have caused harm to the interest protected by the exemption. Information withheld may include home addresses and phone numbers, social security numbers, medical records, proprietary business records, investigatory records, that if released may interfere with open investigations, and drafts of documents.

  2. HHS FOIA Regulations:

    https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-5

Section III: Acronyms, Definitions, and Exemptions

  1. Following are definitions of terms used in this report:
    1. Administrative Appeal – a request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a FOIA determination made by the agency at the initial request level.
    2. Average Number – the number obtained by dividing the sum of a group of numbers by the quantity of numbers in the For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the average number is 8.
    3. Backlog – the number of requests or administrative appeals that are pending at an agency at the end of the fiscal year that are beyond the statutory time period for a response.
    4. Component – for agencies that process requests on a decentralized basis, a "component" is an entity, also sometimes referred to as an Office, Division, Bureau, Center, or Directorate, within the agency that processes FOIA requests. The FOIA now requires that agencies include in their Annual FOIA Report data for both the agency overall and for each principal component of the agency.
    5. Consultation – the procedure whereby the agency responding to a FOIA request first forwards a record to another agency or component within the same agency for its review because that other agency has an interest in the doc Once the agency in receipt of the consultation finishes its review of the record, it responds back to the agency or component within the same agency that forwarded it. That agency, in turn, will then respond to the FOIA requester.
    6. Exemption 3 Statute – a federal statute that exempts information from disclosure and which the agency relies on to withhold information under subsection (b)(3) of the FOIA.

    7. FOIA Request – a FOIA request is generally a request to a federal agency for access to records concerning another person (i.e., a "third- party" request), or concerning an organization, or a particular topic of interest. FOIA requests also include requests made by requesters seeking records concerning themselves (i.e., "first-party" requests) when those requesters are not subject to the Privacy Act, such as non- U.S. citizens. Moreover, because all first-party requesters should be afforded the benefit of both the access provisions of the FOIA as well as those of the Privacy Act, FOIA requests also include any first-party requests where an agency determines that it must search beyond its Privacy Act "systems of records" or where a Privacy Act exemption applies, and the agency looks to FOIA to afford the greatest possible access. All requests which require the agency to utilize the FOIA in responding to the requester are included in this Report.

      Additionally, a FOIA request includes records referred to the agency for processing and direct response to the requester. It does not, however, include records for which the agency has received a consultation from another agency. (Consultations are reported separately in Section XII of this Report.)

    8. Full Grant – an agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request.
    9. Full Denial – an agency decision not to release any records in response to a FOIA request because the records are exempt in their entireties under one or more of the FOIA exemptions, or because of a procedural reason, such as when no records could be located.
    10. Median Number – the middle, not average, number. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the median number is 7.
    11. Multi-Track Processing – a system in which simple requests requiring relatively minimal review are placed in one processing track and more voluminous and complex requests are placed in one or more other tracks. Requests granted expedited processing are placed in yet another track. Requests in each track are processed on a first in/first out basis.
      1. Expedited Processing – an agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis when a requester satisfies the requirements for expedited processing as set forth in the statute and in agency regulations.
      2. Simple Request – a FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in its fastest (non- expedited) track based on the low volume and/or simplicity of the records requested.
      3. Complex Request – a FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in a slower track based on the high volume and/or complexity of the records requested.
    12. Partial Grant/Partial Denial – in response to a FOIA request, an agency decision to disclose portions of the records and to withhold other portions that are exempt under the FOIA, or to otherwise deny a portion of the request for a procedural reason.
    13. Pending Request or Pending Administrative Appeal – a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has not taken final action in all respects.
    14. Perfected Request – a request for records which reasonably describes such records and is made in accordance with published rules stating the time, place, fees (if any) and procedures to be followe
    15. Processed Request or Processed Administrative Appeal – a request or administrative appeal for which an agency has taken final action in all respects.
    16. Range in Number of Days – the lowest and highest number of days to process requests or administrative appeals.
    17. Time Limits – the time period in the statute for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily twenty working days from receipt of a perfected FOIA request).
  2. Following are concise descriptions of the nine FOIA exemptions:
    1. Exemption 1: classified national defense and foreign relations information
    2. Exemption 2: information that is related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency
    3. Exemption 3: information that is prohibited from disclosure by another federal law
    4. Exemption 4: trade secrets and other confidential business information
    5. Exemption 5: inter-agency or intra-agency communications that are protected by legal privileges
    6. Exemption 6: information involving matters of personal privacy
    7. Exemption 7: records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, to the extent that the production of those records (A) could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, (B) would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, (C) could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (D) could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source, (E) would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or (F) could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual
    8. Exemption 8: information relating to the supervision of financial institutions
    9. Exemption 9: geological information on wells

  3. Agency Component Abbreviations

    Component AbbreviationComponent Name
    ACLAdministration for Community Living
    ACFAdministration for Children and Families
    CDCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
    CMSCenter for Medicare and Medicaid Services
    FDAFood and Drug Administration
    HRSAHealth Resources and Services Administration
    IHSIndian Health Service
    NIHNational Institutes of Health
    OIGOffice of the Inspector General
    OSOffice of the Secretary
    SAMHSASubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

IV. Exemption 3 Statutes

StatuteType of Information
Withheld		Case CitationAgency / ComponentNumber of Times
Relied upon
by Agency / Component		Total Number of
Times Relied upon
by Agency Overall
41 U.S.C. § 4702 (formerly at 41 U.S.C. § 253b(m)(1))Contractor proposals that are in the possession or control of an executive agency and that have not been set forth or incorporated by reference into contractsSinkfield v. HUD, No. 10-885, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35233, at *13-15 (S.D. Ohio Mar. 15, 2012); Margolin v. NASA, No. 09-CV-00421, 2011 WL 1303221, at *6 (D. Nev. Mar. 31, 2011); Hornbostel v. U.S. Dep’t of the Interior, 305 F. Supp. 2d 21, 30 (D.D.C. 2003), summary affirmance granted, No. 03-5257, 2004 WL 1900562 (D.C. Cir. Aug. 25, 2004).ACF128
CDC14
CMS9
HRSA1
NIH2
OS1
10 U.S.C. § 130cCertain “sensitive information of foreign governments” and certain international organizationsACLU v. DOD, 389 F. Supp. 2d 547, 553-54 (S.D.N.Y. 2005); Nat’l Inst. of Mil. Just. v. DOD, 404 F. Supp. 2d 325, 335-37 (D.D.C. 2005), aff’d on other grounds, 512 F.3d 677 (D.C. Cir. 2008); Gerstein v. DOD, No. 03-5193, slip op. at 8 (N.D. Ca. Dec. 21, 2004).CDC88
41 U.S.C. § 2102 (amending 41 U.S.C. § 423(a)(1))Contractor bid or proposal information; source selection informationLegal & Safety Emp. Rsch., Inc. v. U.S. Dep't of the Army, No. Civ. S001748, 2001 WL 34098652, at *3-4 (E.D. Cal. May 4, 2001) (dictum).CDC33
42 U.S.C. § 262a(h)(1)Certain categories of information relating to biological agents and toxinsCiv. Beat L. Ctr. for the Pub. Int. v. CDC, 929 F.3d 1079, 1084-85 (9th Cir. 2019).CDC99
42 U.S.C. §242m(d)Identifiable information for certain research and statistical activitiesN/ACDC2121
42 U.S.C. § 299b-22(a)(3)Patient safety work product informationN/ACDC11
42 US.C. § 247d-6b(d)Information identifying the location at which materials in the stockpile under subsection (a) of this section are storedN/ACDC311
OS8
21 U.S.C. § 379(b)Information relating to drugs obtained from a foreign government agency.N/ACDC22
5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 107(a)(2)Confidential financial disclosure report pertaining to certain government employeesMeyerhoff v. EPA, 958 F.2d 1498, 1500-02 (9th Cir. 1992); Boyd v. Exec. Off. for U.S. Att'ys, 161 F. Supp. 3d 1, 7 (D.D.C. 2015); Seife v. NIH, 874 F. Supp. 2d 248, 254 (S.D.N.Y. 2012).CDC12
NIH1
50 U.S.C. § 3024(i)(1) (formerly at 50 U.S.C. § 403-1(i)(1))Intelligence sources and methodsCIA v. Sims, 471 U.S. 159, 167 (1985).CDC11
26 U.S.C. §§ 6103, 6105Certain tax return information, to include Taxpayer Identification Numbers of third Parties, and certain tax convention informationNosal v. IRS, 523 F. Supp. 3d 72, 79 (D.D.C. 2021); Church of Scientology v. IRS, 484 U.S. 9, 15 (1987) (26 U.S.C. § 6103); Elec. Priv. Info. Ctr. v. IRS, 910 F.3d 1232, 1237 (D.C. Cir. 2018); Leonard v. U.S. Dep’of Treasury, 590 F. App’x. 141, 143-44 (3d Cir. 2014) (per curiam); Pac. Fisheries, Inc. v. IRS, 395 F. App’x. 438, 440 (9th Cir. 2010) (unpublished disposition) (26 U.S.C. §§ 6103, 6105).CMS4044
HRSA4
21 U.S.C. § 350d(a)4Food Registration DocumentsN/AFDA55
42 U.S.C. § 282(j)(6)Information submitted for publication on clinicaltrials.gov that is not otherwise publicly availableN/AFDA3232
21 U.S.C. 360i(b)(2)Identity of a device user facility which makes a report that a device has or may have caused or contributed to the death of a patient of the facilityN/AFDA55
21 U.S.C. § 331(j)Certain information “concerning any method or process which as a trade secret is entitled to protection”Anderson v. HHS, 907 F.2d 936, 950-51 (10th Cir. 1990).FDA1010
42 U.S.C. § 300aa12(d)(4)(A)"Except as provided in subparagraph (B), information submitted to a special master or the court in a proceeding on a petition [for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program] . . .without the express written consent of the person who submitted the information"Long v. DOJ, 778 F. Supp. 2d 222, 234 (N.D.N.Y. 2011).HRSA12
OS1
42 U.S.C. § 11137(b)(1)National Practitioner Data Bank informationN/AHRSA22
42 U.S.C. § 1396r–8(b)(3)(D)Information disclosed by manufacturers or wholesalers which discloses the identity of a specific manufacturer or wholesaler, or prices charged for drugs by such manufacturer or wholesalerN/AHRSA33
25 U.S.C. § 1675Medical quality assurance recordsN.Y. Times Co. v. HHS, 15 F.4th 216, 219 & n.7 (2d Cir. 2021) (per curiam).IHS66
7 U.S.C. § 8401(h)(1)(c)Registration and transfer documentation for listed biological agents and toxins, and information derived therefromN/ANIH11
35 U.S.C. § 209(f)Plans for development or marketing of a federally owned inventionN/ANIH33
5 U.S.C. § 407 (formerly at 5 U.S.C. app. 3 § 7(b))Names of employees who provide information or complaints to the Inspector GeneralWash. Post Co. v. Special Inspector Gen. for Afg. Reconstr., 486 F. Supp. 3d 141, 166 (D.D.C. 2020).OIG3838
42 U.S.C. § 1306c(e)Information contained on the Death Master FileN/AOIG11
18 U.S.C. § 208(d)(1)Providing that “a copy of any determination granting an exemption under subsection (b)(1) or (b)(3) [from application of penalties for acts affecting personal financial interests determined to constitute bribery, graft, or conflicts of interest] shall be made available to the public,” but exempting from this disclosure requirement “any information contained in the determination that would be exempt from disclosure under section 552 of title 5”Seife v. NIH, 874 F. Supp. 2d 248, 256 (S.D.N.Y. 2012).OIG22
42 U.S.C. § 300jj-52(d)(2)Information received by the National Coordinator in connection with a claim or suggestion of possible information blocking and that could reasonably be expected to facilitate identification of the source of the informationN/AOS11

V.A. FOIA REQUESTS -- RECEIVED, PROCESSED AND PENDING FOIA REQUESTS

Agency / ComponentNumber of Requests
Pending as of Start
of Fiscal Year		Number of
Requests Received
in Fiscal Year		Number of
Requests Processed
in Fiscal Year		Number of Requests
Pending as of End
of Fiscal Year
ACF834321209946
ACL501409793
CDC44519512048348
CMS357728579288943262
FDA440310447101444706
HRSA72466339199
IHS12018021090
NIH91417161699931
OIG181077105738
OS2849143221002181
SAMHSA179221241159
AGENCY OVERALL13461465304703812953

* After reviewing its database, HHS updated the number of requests pending at the start of the Fiscal Year for the following components: ACF, CMS, FDA, IHS, NIH, and OS.

V.B.(1). DISPOSITION OF FOIA REQUESTS -- ALL PROCESSED REQUESTS

Agency / ComponentNumber of Full GrantsNumber of Partial Grants / Partial DenialsNumber of Full Denials Based on ExemptionsNumber of Full Denials Based on Reasons Other than ExemptionsTOTAL
No RecordsAll Records Referred to Another Component or AgencyRequest WithdrawnFee-Related ReasonRecords not Reasonably DescribedImproper FOIA Request for Other ReasonNot Agency RecordDuplicate RequestOther *Explain in Chart Below
ACF26440877100212741209
ACL3208175025640097
CDC34176923323371053632288266172048
CMS5557328362843421288911857217434672122682128894
FDA780982109395371386531252201395010144
HRSA4344844917155227162737339
IHS4279332042002613210
NIH55850515200021084457208201699
OIG3831971377331690312241101057
OS18740935180372656035461403912100
SAMHSA58206004804141270241
AGENCY OVERALL146095618654851275403539196940349011005265912047038

V.B.(2). DISPOSITION OF FOIA REQUESTS -- "OTHER" REASONS FOR "FULL DENIALS BASED ON REASONS OTHER THAN EXEMPTIONS"

Agency / ComponentDescription of "Other" Reasons for Denials from Chart B(1)Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied UponTOTAL
ACFLitigation11
ACLN/A00
CDCLitigation77
CMSUnable to Locate or Contact Requester2121
FDADirected Requester to Another Entity Subject to the FOIA550
Unable to Locate or Contact Requester45
HRSAAggregate cases3437
Directed requester to another entity subject to the FOIA1
Directed Requester to Publicly Available Information2
IHSDirected Requester to Publicly Available Information33
NIHN/A00
OIGN/A00
OSDirected Requester to Publicly Available Information11
SAMHSAN/A00
AGENCY OVERALL  120

V.B.(3). DISPOSITION OF FOIA REQUESTS -- NUMBER OF TIMES EXEMPTIONS APPLIED

Agency / ComponentEx. 1Ex. 2Ex. 3Ex. 4Ex. 5Ex. 6Ex. 7(A)Ex. 7(B)Ex. 7(C)Ex. 7(D)Ex. 7(E)Ex. 7(F)Ex. 8Ex. 9
ACF0011384100802100
ACL00001100000000
CDC1565300454623801733101
CMS0249631417831280827155100
FDA02451163512510513000
HRSA00112073310101100
IHS0041895300400000
NIH001336160494101101000
OIG014188173371531214010116700
OS171115720737321095125100
SAMHSA0007917600000000
AGENCY OVERALL217240178399699081378111822014117201

VI.A. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS OF INITIAL DETERMINATIONS OF FOIA REQUESTS -- RECEIVED, PROCESSED, AND PENDING ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS

Agency / ComponentNumber of Appeals
Pending as of Start
of Fiscal Year		Number of
Appeals Received
in Fiscal Year		Number of
Appeals Processed
in Fiscal Year		Number of Appeals
Pending as of End
of Fiscal Year
CMS1492950128
FDA3515013154
OS432287230489
AGENCY OVERALL616466411671

* After reviewing their databases, CMS and FDA adjusted the number of appeals pending as of the start of the Fiscal Year.

VI.B. DISPOSITION OF ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS -- ALL PROCESSED APPEALS

Agency / ComponentNumber Affirmed on AppealNumber Partially Affirmed & Partially Reversed/Remanded on AppealNumber Completely Reversed/Remanded on AppealNumber of Appeals Closed for Other ReasonsTOTAL
CMS1014850
FDA4721072131
OS561155108230
AGENCY OVERALL1041366228411

VI.C.(1). REASONS FOR DENIAL ON APPEAL -- NUMBER OF TIMES EXEMPTIONS APPLIED

Agency / ComponentEx. 1Ex. 2Ex. 3Ex. 4Ex. 5Ex. 6Ex. 7(A)Ex. 7(B)Ex. 7(C)Ex. 7(D)Ex. 7(E)Ex. 7(F)Ex. 8Ex. 9
CMS000621801500000
FDA00484820210000
OS00511142020600000
AGENCY OVERALL009252046411310000

VI.C.(2). REASONS FOR DENIAL ON APPEAL -- REASONS OTHER THAN EXEMPTIONS

Agency / ComponentNo RecordsRecords Referred at Initial Request LevelRequest WithdrawnFee-Related ReasonRecords not Reasonably DescribedImproper Request for Other ReasonsNot Agency RecordDuplicate Request or AppealRequest in LitigationAppeal Based Solely on Denial of Request for Expedited ProcessingOther *Explain in chart below
CMS402800410118
FDA210421000072436
OS1903011111614466
AGENCY OVERALL4401002152162229110

VI.C.(3). REASONS FOR DENIAL ON APPEAL -- "OTHER" REASONS

Agency / ComponentDescription of "Other" Reasons for Denial on Appeal from Chart C(2)Number of Times "Other" Reason Was Relied UponTOTAL
CMSUnable to Locate or Contact Requester88
FDANo Component Response to Adjudicate2636
Moot10
OSMoot2866
Untimely4
No component response to adjudicate14
Improper appeal2
Agency Performed Adequate Search17
Unable to Locate or Contact Requester1
AGENCY OVERALL  110

VI.C.(4). RESPONSE TIME FOR ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS

Agency / ComponentMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysLowest Number of DaysHighest Number of Days
CMS794827152655
FDA71911377
OS201445.3<11933
AGENCY OVERALL231.63378.97<12655

VI.C.(5). TEN OLDEST PENDING ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS

Agency / ComponentMetric10th Oldest Appeal9th8th7th6th5th4th3rd2ndOldest Appeal
CMSDate of Appeal2015-06-232015-06-182015-04-032014-11-052014-07-162014-03-062014-03-062014-03-062012-04-152011-12-07
Number of Days Pending2069207221252226230423962396239628692958
FDADate of Appeal2023-01-032022-12-222022-10-312022-10-112022-10-112022-09-132022-09-072022-08-302022-08-012021-12-02
Number of Days Pending187193229243243262266271292457
OSDate of Appeal2018-01-162018-01-042018-01-032017-12-182017-11-292017-10-312017-09-222017-06-212017-06-212015-12-10
Number of Days Pending1428143514361446145914781504156915691952
AGENCY OVERALLDate of Appeal2015-06-232015-06-182015-04-032014-11-052014-07-162014-03-062014-03-062014-03-062012-04-152011-12-07
Number of Days Pending2069207221252226230423962396239628692958

VII.A. FOIA REQUESTS -- RESPONSE TIME FOR ALL PROCESSED PERFECTED REQUESTS

Agency / ComponentSIMPLECOMPLEXEXPEDITED PROCESSING
Median Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysLowest Number of DaysHighest Number of DaysMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysLowest Number of DaysHighest Number of DaysMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysLowest Number of DaysHighest Number of Days
ACF65465417129192288.07<12210740740740740
ACL115<116312562316N/AN/AN/AN/A
CDC812.14<1943269.76<1756194218.25<1794
CMS1212<11049934<11890187457161407
FDA9231913551931237865061118866
HRSA410<1382054<140810101010
IHS681311382803148028281441
NIH1754.27<11301123231.96<11540795795751839
OIG2516039761441N/AN/AN/AN/A
OS120.38<11502358.5530.65<12208730.5962.934561841
SAMHSA25143<1142523029311549N/AN/AN/AN/A
AGENCY OVERALL10.3521.13<1150242.5197.21<12378345.35424.89<11841

VII.B. PROCESSED REQUESTS -- RESPONSE TIME FOR PERFECTED REQUESTS IN WHICH INFORMATION WAS GRANTED

Agency / ComponentSIMPLECOMPLEXEXPEDITED PROCESSING
Median Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysLowest Number of DaysHighest Number of DaysMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysLowest Number of DaysHighest Number of DaysMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysLowest Number of DaysHighest Number of Days
ACFN/AN/AN/AN/A147371.3312210740740740740
ACL1236<1316N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
CDC1116.06<1944484.29<1689200.5239.132794
CMS1515<110491854<1189052311161407
FDA9191913651881237859353118866
HRSA1414141484106<1408N/AN/AN/AN/A
IHS78131842276148014141414
NIH2156.13<1632104187.6161540839839839839
OIG710160488821441N/AN/AN/AN/A
OS1128.34<1272333.5473.7812036724785.64561400
SAMHSA67676767229248111140N/AN/AN/AN/A
AGENCY OVERALL11.7721.3<1104951.79116.86<12378249.16320.8521407

VII.C.(1). PROCESSED SIMPLE REQUESTS -- RESPONSE TIME IN DAY INCREMENTS

Agency / Component<1-20
Days		21-40
Days		41-60
Days		61-80
Days		81-100 Days101-120 Days121-140 Days141-160 Days161-180 Days181-200 Days201-300 Days301-400 Days401+
Days		TOTAL
ACF10000000000012
ACL3020000001000033
CDC1952884200000000237
CMS4826873440000000014952
FDA48485261214648341312112411614335846
HRSA71000000000008
IHS6230000000000065
NIH7822237345302219138143427391329
OIG916530000000000924
OS267224110100314286
SAMHSA3154400021134863
AGENCY OVERALL11965882245107815732282139156468613745

VII.C.(2). PROCESSED COMPLEX REQUESTS -- RESPONSE TIME IN DAY INCREMENTS

Agency / Component<1-20
Days		21-40
Days		41-60
Days		61-80
Days		81-100 Days101-120 Days121-140 Days141-160 Days161-180 Days181-200 Days201-300 Days301-400 Days401+
Days		TOTAL
ACF6615117765725121842203
ACL41000000000016
CDC533301139945751421832178348161431
CMS1559511836113682521741311361157625614131819356
FDA12405813441661411571079179603301936854174
HRSA128282113107118541501251
IHS15201111101310291147141
NIH2832271815111016810211655267
OIG2572110232512931118
OS45997393218222322112477608341718
SAMHSA1099117100455282834160
AGENCY OVERALL1808023241233730519442334308258205840518203427825

VII.C.(3). PROCESSED REQUESTS GRANTED EXPEDITED PROCESSING -- RESPONSE TIME IN DAY INCREMENTS

Agency / Component<1-20
Days		21-40
Days		41-60
Days		61-80
Days		81-100 Days101-120 Days121-140 Days141-160 Days161-180 Days181-200 Days201-300 Days301-400 Days401+
Days		TOTAL
ACF00000000000011
ACL00000000000000
CDC9543131124118860
CMS135100010111923
FDA2000000000002123
HRSA10000000000001
IHS10100000000002
NIH00000000000022
OIG00000000000000
OS0000000000001414
SAMHSA00000000000000
AGENCY OVERALL14810413122512955126

VII.D. PENDING REQUESTS -- ALL PENDING PERFECTED REQUESTS

Agency / ComponentSIMPLECOMPLEXEXPEDITED PROCESSING
Number PendingMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysNumber PendingMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of DaysNumber PendingMedian Number of DaysAverage Number of Days
ACF171065848.47917788739.528606622.25
ACL889203354374090N/AN/A
CDC202242.652744182.76241.5286.67
CMS174841305111024337888948
FDA47182197419530841340855826
HRSA35749196931080N/AN/A
IHS0N/AN/A893134110N/AN/A
NIH57624531130137238410873.5852
OIG1425324391320N/AN/A
OS32328288.472062659696.637876866.62
SAMHSA11031031581421840N/AN/A
AGENCY OVERALL1316160.48232.6611302346.58427.45138829.71836.22

VII.E. PENDING REQUESTS -- TEN OLDEST PENDING PERFECTED REQUESTS

Agency / ComponentMetric10th Oldest Request9th8th7th6th5th4th3rd2ndOldest Request
ACFDate of Receipt2017-11-132017-11-132017-11-032017-11-012017-08-252017-08-252017-08-252017-08-242017-08-032014-05-08
Number of Days Pending1470147014751477152315231523152415392351
ACLDate of Receipt2021-04-262021-01-292021-01-052020-12-152020-10-152020-09-042020-08-122020-04-142020-03-122019-01-18
Number of Days Pending6096696856977387657828668891175
CDCDate of Receipt2022-05-262022-05-122022-05-062022-04-282022-03-232022-01-142021-09-152021-02-042020-07-132020-06-29
Number of Days Pending337347351357383429511665804813
CMSDate of Receipt2017-08-022017-07-312017-06-162017-06-072017-04-172017-04-112017-04-042017-03-292017-02-132017-02-08
Number of Days Pending1540154215721579161516191624162816591662
FDADate of Receipt2015-06-042015-06-012015-04-202015-04-162015-04-132015-03-272015-02-132015-02-032015-01-222014-05-09
Number of Days Pending2082208521142116211921302159216721752350
HRSADate of Receipt2022-09-212022-09-142022-08-302022-08-232022-07-182022-07-132022-07-112022-06-102021-04-052018-12-16
Number of Days Pending2572622722773033063083276241196
IHSDate of Receipt2020-01-072019-10-142019-07-022019-06-052019-05-282019-04-192019-04-192019-04-192019-04-162018-11-02
Number of Days Pending93498910611080108611121112111211151225
NIHDate of Receipt2019-03-132019-02-262018-10-292018-10-292018-10-042018-06-272018-04-032018-02-212017-11-132017-03-23
Number of Days Pending1139115012291229124513141374140314701632
OIGDate of Receipt2023-03-072023-02-072023-01-312023-01-182023-01-042022-12-212022-10-192022-10-042022-10-012022-08-10
Number of Days Pending145164169178187195238248249286
OSDate of Receipt2017-02-012017-01-312016-12-072016-12-022016-11-152016-10-132016-08-152016-07-212016-07-132016-03-22
Number of Days Pending1667166817031706171817401781179818041883
SAMHSADate of Receipt2022-02-172021-12-022021-11-302021-11-152021-08-092021-07-062021-03-172020-12-142019-12-312019-09-09
Number of Days Pending4064584604705375616376989381014
AGENCY OVERALLDate of Receipt2015-06-012015-04-202015-04-162015-04-132015-03-272015-02-132015-02-032015-01-222014-05-092014-05-08
Number of Days Pending2085211421162119213021592167217523502351

VIII.A. REQUESTS FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING

Agency / ComponentNumber GrantedNumber DeniedMedian Number of Days to AdjudicateAverage Number of Days to AdjudicateNumber Adjudicated Within Ten Calendar Days
ACF301251321
ACL00N/AN/A0
CDC2616611.87190
CMS117863268
FDA150733506
HRSA1167712
IHS21724.3617
NIH1458.59.5428
OIG02112
OS01415.5336.077
SAMHSA0482820
AGENCY OVERALL458494.1612.08831

VIII.B. Requests for Fee Waiver

Agency / ComponentNumber GrantedNumber DeniedMedian Number of Days to AdjudicateAverage Number of Days to Adjudicate
ACF10132132
ACL00N/AN/A
CDC116011.59
CMS3012471
FDA00N/AN/A
HRSA241336
IHS333311
NIH14159695.93
OIG0422
OS57478560.66
SAMHSA00N/AN/A
AGENCY OVERALL11814434.2749.43

IX. FOIA Personnel and Costs

Agency / ComponentPERSONNELCOSTS
Number of "Full-Time FOIA Employees"Number of "Equivalent Full-Time FOIA Employees"Total Number of "Full-Time FOIA Staff"Processing CostsLitigation-Related CostsTotal Costs
ACF1110.0021.00$941,215.00$137,084.00$1,078,299.00
ACL01.001.00$119,319.00$0.00$119,319.00
CDC241.0025.00$3,840,640.00$43,970.00$3,884,610.00
CMS3434.0068.00$8,773,059.02$502,566.00$9,275,625.02
FDA16910.00179.00$5,200,000.00$2,350,000.00$7,550,000.00
HRSA50.005.00$555,054.00$0.00$555,054.00
IHS20.002.00$227,698.00$0.00$227,698.00
NIH492.0051.00$5,992,715.60$52,963.25$6,045,678.85
OIG32.005.00$765,203.00$8,823.00$774,026.00
OS299.0038.00$5,502,626.00$4,371,164.70$9,873,790.70
SAMHSA10.201.20$316,500.00$0.00$316,500.00
AGENCY OVERALL32769.20396.20$32,234,029.62$7,466,570.95$39,700,600.57

X. Fees Collected for Processing Requests

Agency / ComponentTotal Amount of Fees CollectedPercentage of Total Costs
ACF$0.000.0000%
ACL$0.000.0000%
CDC$27,267.030.7100%
CMS$169,636.371.9300%
FDA$566,907.0010.9000%
HRSA$0.000.0000%
IHS$0.000.0000%
NIH$12,856.080.2100%
OIG$7,521.000.9800%
OS$0.000.0000%
SAMHSA$0.000.0000%
AGENCY OVERALL$784,187.482.4300%

XI.A. Number of Times Subsection (C) Used

Agency / ComponentNumber of Times Subsection Used
ACF0
ACL0
CDC0
CMS0
FDA0
HRSA0
IHS0
NIH0
OIG0
OS0
SAMHSA0
AGENCY OVERALL0

XI.B. Number of Subsection (A)(2) Postings

Agency / ComponentNumber of Records Posted by the FOIA OfficeNumber of Records Posted by Program Offices
ACF510
ACL00
CDC00
CMS4199
FDA100020000
HRSA00
IHS50
NIH00
OIG0136
OS161321
SAMHSA00
AGENCY OVERALL107621656

XII.A. Backlogs of FOIA Requests and Administrative Appeals

Agency / ComponentNumber of Backlogged Requests as of End of Fiscal YearNumber of Backlogged Appeals as of End of Fiscal Year
ACF913N/A
ACL43N/A
CDC186N/A
CMS2479124
FDA434944
HRSA167N/A
IHS74N/A
NIH807N/A
OIG33N/A
OS2066472
SAMHSA139N/A
AGENCY OVERALL11256640

XII.B. CONSULTATIONS ON FOIA REQUESTS -- RECEIVED, PROCESSED, AND PENDING CONSULTATIONS

Agency / ComponentNumber of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Pending at the Agency as of Start
of the Fiscal Year		Number of
Consultations Received from Other Agencies During the Fiscal Year		Number of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Processed by the Agency During the Fiscal YearNumber of Consultations Received from Other Agencies that were Pending at the Agency as of End
of the Fiscal Year
ACF521224
ACL0000
CDC15615125
CMS3232
FDA068671
HRSA0981
IHS0660
NIH27473539
OIG066651
OS651059377
SAMHSA0000
AGENCY OVERALL115385350150

* After reviewing its database, HHS adjusted the number of consults pending as of the start of the Fiscal Year for the following components: CMS and NIH.

XII.C. CONSULTATIONS ON FOIA REQUESTS -- TEN OLDEST CONSULTATIONS RECEIVED FROM OTHER AGENCIES AND PENDING AT THE AGENCY

Agency / ComponentMetric10th Oldest Consultation9th8th7th6th5th4th3rd2ndOldest Consultation
ACFDateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A2023-06-062022-10-132022-10-122020-05-04
Number of Days00000081242243857
ACLDateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Number of Days0000000000
CDCDate2022-05-272022-05-042022-01-042021-09-292021-09-232021-07-162020-06-102020-06-102020-06-022020-03-27
Number of Days336353437501505553826826832878
CMSDateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A2023-03-282022-11-22
Number of Days00000000130215
FDADateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A2023-09-22
Number of Days0000000006
HRSADateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A2023-09-26
Number of Days0000000004
IHSDateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Number of Days0000000000
NIHDate2022-04-082022-04-062022-04-042022-04-042022-04-012022-02-222022-01-192022-01-112022-01-102021-10-22
Number of Days371373375375376404427432433485
OIGDateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A2023-09-05
Number of Days00000000019
OSDate2020-01-312020-01-232019-12-102019-10-252019-10-162019-10-102019-09-232019-06-142019-05-032019-04-17
Number of Days9179239519819889911004107311021114
SAMHSADateN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Number of Days0000000000
AGENCY OVERALLDate2020-01-312020-01-232019-12-102019-10-252019-10-162019-10-102019-09-232019-06-142019-05-032019-04-17
Number of Days9179239519819889911004107311021114

XII.D.(1). COMPARISON OF NUMBERS OF REQUESTS FROM PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT -- REQUESTS RECEIVED AND PROCESSED

Agency / ComponentNUMBER OF REQUESTS RECEIVEDNUMBER OF REQUESTS PROCESSED
Number Received During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual ReportNumber Received During Fiscal Year from Current Annual ReportNumber Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual ReportNumber Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report
ACF276321120209
ACL881406497
CDC2400195124812048
CMS20289285791967428894
FDA933310447903510144
HRSA383466362339
IHS135180161210
NIH1988171617511699
OIG1812107718081057
OS1592143216842100
SAMHSA166221101241
AGENCY OVERALL38462465303724147038

XII.D.(2). COMPARISON OF NUMBERS OF REQUESTS FROM PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT -- BACKLOGGED REQUESTS

Agency / ComponentNumber of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Previous Annual ReportNumber of Backlogged Requests as of End of the Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report
ACF876913
ACL3643
CDC257186
CMS21262479
FDA41884349
HRSA48167
IHS11474
NIH776807
OIG1333
OS27142066
SAMHSA172139
AGENCY OVERALL1132011256

XII.E.(1). COMPARISON OF NUMBERS OF ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS FROM PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT -- APPEALS RECEIVED AND PROCESSED

Agency / ComponentNUMBER OF APPEALS RECEIVEDNUMBER OF APPEALS PROCESSED
Number Received During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual ReportNumber Received During Fiscal Year from Current Annual ReportNumber Processed During Fiscal Year from Last Year's Annual ReportNumber Processed During Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report
CMS36299350
FDA116150113131
OS288287272230
AGENCY OVERALL440466478411

XII.E.(2). COMPARISON OF NUMBERS OF ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS FROM PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ANNUAL REPORT -- BACKLOGGED APPEALS

Agency / ComponentNumber of Backlogged Appeals as of End of the Fiscal Year from Previous Annual ReportNumber of Backlogged Appeals as of End of the Fiscal Year from Current Annual Report
CMS145124
FDA2944
OS407472
AGENCY OVERALL581640
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