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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) REQUEST

The Freedom of Information Act are Records Access Laws pertaining to agency records. The FOIA is a federal statute which governs federal records, i.e. those maintained on behalf of a federal agency or Illinois Department of Military Affairs (DMA).

Authority to release records or deny access to records does not exist at unit/office level. Record Access Officers are trained to assess fees and protect non-Public data/information.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A FOIA REQUEST LETTER:

Provide your full name and contact information
Provide a reasonable description of the record(s) requested
Provide a statement of your fee category (see below) and your willingness to pay applicable fees
Send your request to the applicable FOIA Office (see below)

FEE CATEGORIES:

Educational, Noncommercial, Scientific, and Media: Any accredited U.S. educational or research institution or instructor of an institution, or representative of the news media using the information in a scholarly or analytical work contributing to public knowledge and disseminated to the public.
Commercial: Increases the commercial interest of the requestor.
All Others: All other requestors

FEES:

The FOIA provides for the collection of fees for:

Searches: Time spent in looking for and retrieving material, either paper or electronic files, that are responsive to the request to include personnel hours (clerical and professional) and computer time.
Reviews: Time spent to determine if the record is releasable under legal guidelines, excluding resolution of legal or policy issues. This does include time spent excising text that is exempt under FOIA.
Reproduction: Generating a copy of a requested record in the appropriate medium, for example paper or computer file.

Army National Guard (ARNG) FOIA Requests:

The request letter must contain your signature. Please make sure to note somewhere on the request letter Freedom of Information Act Request.

POSTAL MAIL

If you are mailing your request, please address the request to:

Illinois Army National Guard
ATTN: FOIA Request
1301 N. MacArthur Blvd.
Springfield, IL 62702

FAX

If you are faxing your request, please note on the fax cover sheet Freedom of Information Act Request and fax to: (217) 761-3419.

EMAIL

If you are emailing your request, please note in the email subject field Freedom of Information Act Request, attach signed request letter then forward to: NGILJ6FOIA@ng.army.mil

FOIA requesters who have any questions concerning the processing of their requests with the Illinois Army National Guard should contact this center at (217) 761-3529. If you are not satisfied with the response from this FOIA Requester Service Center, you may contact the ARNG FOIA Officer, Ms. Jennifer Nikolaisen, at (703) 607-3195 or by e-mail at FOIA@ng.army.mil

Air National Guard (ANG) FOIA Requests:

The Air Force has a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) website for submitting requests online to our Requester Service Centers (RSC). Visit the following Air Force eFOIA Public Access Link (PAL): https://www.efoia.af.mil/palMain.aspx

Once at the access site, it is recommended to review all the links listed on the left side as they have been designed to provide information and guidance. In your request, please indicate the State/Wing that you are seeking records from. If you prefer not to use the automated system, you may also make your request at:

ANG/FOIA
1411 Jefferson Davis Highway
Suite 11300
Arlington, VA 22202
FAX: (703) 607-3684
PHONE: (703) 607-3195

FOIA Appeal after denial:

Persons denied access to records have the right to appeal. If the request is initially denied in whole or in part under one or more of the exemptions or denied for some other reason, the requester has the right to appeal within sixty (60) days through the agency that denied the records. That agency will then forward the appeal package to the Army Office of General Counsel.

This Army Office of General Counsel has been designated by the Secretary of the Army as the only office to consider appeals and processes appeals in order by date of receipt and according to their complexity. The General Counsel has delegated his appeal authority to the Principal Deputy General Counsel. If the Department of the Army, through the Office of the General Counsel, denies the appeal in whole or in part, the requestor may then seek judicial review by filing an action in the U.S. District Court.

National Guard Bureau Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) / Privacy Act (PA) Office visit www.ng.mil/sitelinks/foia.aspx

Department of Defense - DOD Freedom of Information Act Handbook (including sample Request Letter) visit www.ng.mil/sitelinks/foia.pdf.