5 C.F.R. Subpart C—Amendment of Records
Title 5 - Administrative Personnel
(a) Amendment request. A data subject seeking to amend a record or records that pertain to him in a system of records must submit his request in writing in accordance with the following procedures, unless this requirement is waived by the appropriate system manager. Records not subject to the Privacy Act will not be amended in accordance with these provisions. (b) Addresses—(1) Records in an OGE Governmentwide system of records. A request to amend a record in an OGE Governmentwide system of records should be sent to the appropriate system manager as follows: (i) Records filed directly with OGE by non-OGE employees: The Deputy Director, Office of Agency Programs, Office of Government Ethics, Suite 500, 1201 New York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005–3917; (ii) Records filed with a Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) or the head of a department or agency: The DAEO at the department or agency concerned; or (iii) Records filed with the Federal Election Commission by candidates for President or Vice President: The General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, Federal Election Commission, 999 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20463. (2) Records in an OGE internal system of records. A request to amend a record in an OGE internal system of records should include the words “Privacy Act Amendment Request” on both the envelope and at the top of the request letter, and should be sent to the Deputy Director, Office of Administration and Information Management, Office of Government Ethics, Suite 500, 1201 New York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005–3917. (c) Contents of request. (1) A request to amend a record in an OGE Governmentwide system of records or an OGE internal system of records should include the words “Privacy Act Amendment Request” on both the envelope and at the top of the request letter. (2) The name of the system of records and a brief description of the record(s) proposed for amendment must be included in any request for amendment. In the event the request to amend the record(s) is the result of the data subject's having gained access to the record(s) in accordance with the provisions concerning access to records as set in subpart B of this part, copies of previous correspondence between the requester and OGE or the agency will serve in lieu of a separate description of the record. (3) The exact portion of the record(s) the data subject seeks to have amended should be indicated clearly. If possible, proposed alternative language should be set forth, or, at a minimum, the reasons why the data subject believes his record is not accurate, relevant, timely, or complete should be set forth with enough particularity to permit OGE or the other agency concerned not only to understand the data subject's basis for the request, but also to make an appropriate amendment to the record. (d) Burden of proof. The data subject has the burden of proof when seeking the amendment of a record. The data subject must furnish sufficient facts to persuade the appropriate system manager of the inaccuracy, irrelevance, untimeliness, or incompleteness of the record. (e) Identification requirement. When the data subject's identity has been previously verified pursuant to §2606.203, further verification of identity is not required as long as the communication does not suggest a need for verification. If the data subject's identity has not been previously verified, the appropriate system manager may require identification validation as described in §2606.203. (a) Time limit for acknowledging a request for amendment. To the extent possible, OGE or the other agency concerned will acknowledge receipt of a request to amend a record or records within 10 working days. (b) Initial determination on an amendment request. The decision of OGE or the other agency in response to a request for amendment of a record in a system of records may grant in whole, or deny any part of the request to amend the record(s). (1) If OGE or the other agency concerned grants the request, the appropriate system manager will amend the record(s) and provide a copy of the amended record(s) to the data subject. Where an accounting of disclosure has been maintained, the system manager shall advise all previous recipients of the record that an amendment has been made and give the substance of the amendment. Where practicable, the system manager shall send a copy of the amended record to previous recipients. (2) If OGE or the other agency concerned denies the request in whole or in part, the reasons for the denial will be stated in the response letter. In addition, the response letter will state: (i) The name and address of the official with whom an appeal of the denial may be lodged; and (ii) A description of any other procedures which may be required of the data subject in order to process the appeal. (a)(1) A data subject may submit a written appeal of the initial decision by OGE or an agency denying a request to amend a record in an OGE system of records. (i) For records which are filed directly with OGE, the appeal must be submitted to the Director, Office of Government Ethics, Suite 500, 1201 New York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005–3917. (ii) For records which are filed directly with an agency (including the Federal Election Commission) other than OGE, the appeal must be submitted to the Privacy Act amendments appeals official as specified in the agency's own Privacy Act regulations, or to the respective head of the agency concerned if it does not have Privacy Act regulations. (2) The words “Privacy Act Appeal” should be included on the envelope and at the top of the letter of the appeal. (b) The request for review should contain a brief description of the record(s) involved or copies of the correspondence from OGE or the agency in which the request to amend was denied, and the reasons why the data subject believes that the disputed information should be amended. (a) The OGE Director or agency reviewing official should make a final determination in writing not later than 30 days from the date the appeal was received. The 30-day period may be extended for good cause. Notice of the extension and the reasons therefor will be sent to the data subject within the 30-day period. (b) If the OGE Director or agency reviewing official determines that the record(s) should be amended in accordance with the data subject's request, the OGE Director or agency reviewing official will take the necessary steps to advise the data subject, and to direct the appropriate system manager: (1) To amend the record(s), and (2) To notify previous recipients of the record(s) for which there is an accounting of disclosure that the record(s) have been amended. (c) If the appeal decision does not grant in full the request for amendment, the decision letter will notify the data subject that he may: (1) Obtain judicial review of the decision in accordance with the terms of the Privacy Act at 5 U.S.C. 552a(g); and (2) File a statement setting forth his reasons for disagreeing with the decision. (d)(1) A data subject's disagreement statement must be concise. The appropriate system manager has the authority to determine the “conciseness” of the statement, taking into account the scope of the disagreement and the complexity of the issues. (2) In any disclosure of information about which an individual has filed a statement of disagreement, the appropriate system manager will clearly note any disputed portion(s) of the record(s) and will provide a copy of the statement to persons or other agencies to whom the disputed record or records has been disclosed and for whom an accounting of disclosure has been maintained. A concise statement of the reasons for not making the amendments requested may also be provided.
Title 5: Administrative Personnel
PART 2606—PRIVACY ACT RULES
Subpart C—Amendment of Records
§ 2606.301 Requests to amend records.
§ 2606.302 OGE or other agency action on requests.
§ 2606.303 Request for review of an initial refusal to amend a record.
§ 2606.304 Response to a request for review of an initial refusal to amend; disagreement statements.
