ACCESS TO EMPLOYEE RECORDS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83T00573R000100130006-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 28, 2002
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: March 29, 1979
• Content Type: REGULATION

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At};~~~ai~>(ial '.'JE - INTERNAL U31 ONLY
i iroticc Current I;nti 1 Rescindea
fli ORMA.T ION AND RECORDS MAii%''? ~[MENl STATINTL
29 Aar i ,
1. This notice announces a modification in the Agency system for
employees' access to records on themselves by offering an informal file
review in addition to rights available under the Privacy Act. The
change is intended to improve and facilitate access for all employees,
including those under cover, by permitting access to information denied STATINTL
to the general public because it is classified. - chapter IV,
will be modified accordingly.
2. The Privacy Act provides that "each Agency" will permit an
individual not only "to review the record" but also "to have copies made
of all or any portion in a form comprehensible to him." The act and its
implementing provisions exempt from release certain types of information,
such as classified 'information, data involving the privacy of other
individuals, information that would identify investigative sources, and
information that would reveal intelligence sources and methods. Thus,
for example, current or former Agency employees under cover are precluded
from receiving any document that would reflect Agency employment, and
many documents must be sanitized before they-may be released to employees
not under cover. The basic rule in the access provisions of the Privacy
Act is that all documents released to an employee must be unclassified
or sanitized and available for use outside of CIA facilities as the
employee sees fit.
3. This "unclassified or sanitized" rule would, if rigidly applied,
deny Agency employees access to many documents which contain classified
and operationally sensitive information. In order to provide employees
with a maximum degree of access to records about themselves, this notice
describes a mechanism for employee file review which is separate from
but in addition to that available under the Privacy Act. The original
arrangements for such review were intermixed with Privacy Act procedures,
and this approach has not proven to be satisfactory. The following
procedures are hereby substituted for those provided in
4. An informal administrative procedure is available to all
current employees who wish only to review material concerning themselves
in one or more of the following components which maintain records:
Office of Personnel, Office of Training, Office of Medical Services,
Office of Security, Office of Finance, Office of Equal Employment Oppor-
tunity, Office of the Inspector General, and the Central Cover Staff.
Also open to review are personnel soft files maintained by the Office of
the DCI and components within the DDO, DDA, DDS&T, and NFAC. Not every
STATINTL
Approved For Release 2002/02/14: CIA-RDP83T00573R000100130006-4
ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL USE ONLY
 Approved For.Release 2002/02/14: CIA-RDP83T00574R000100130006-4
arc 1979
INFORMATION AND RECORDS MANAGEME',i
employee will have files in each. Arrangements for the review may be
made by oral request to the office that holds the file, and the file
will be reviewed in the presence of the person responsible for maintaining
the file. Normally, this informal process will be limited to reading
and, with the permission of the office director or systems manager,
note-taking. There will be some instances when employees who are not
under cover can be provided copies of unclassified documents as part of
the informal review. Although an employee will not be denied access to
information merely because it is classified, it may be necessary for
some documents or portions of documents to be exempted from the review
for such valid reasons as strict application of operational need-to-
know, the privacy of others, or confidentiality. In these instances,
the employee will be apprised of the basis for denial, and may appeal
the denial in writing to the office director or to the head of the
component responsible for maintaining that employee file system. If
this appeal is denied, the employee may address a further appeal in
writing to the appropriate Deputy Director or Head of Independent Office.
If that appeal is denied and the employee wishes to appeal further, the
employee may make a formal Privacy Act request. The informal procedure
is then terminated.
5. Should an employee wish to clarify or make a technical correction
to records seen during the informal review process, he or she may do so
by submitting the clarification or correction in writing to the office
director or systems manager responsible for the records system for
review and, if warranted, technical correction of the file. Any request
for copies of documents not provided upon request during the informal
review process involves the access provisions of the Privacy Act.
6. Employees desiring to initiate action under the formal provisions
of the Privacy Act should do so in writing to the Information and Privacy
Coordinator, Room 2E50, Headquarters Building. Employees are reminded
that the text of Privacy Act requests must be unclassified and not disclose
privileged information obtained by virtue of employment with the Agency.
7. Employees may want to review their files to ensure accuracy,
timeliness, and relevancy of the records held on themselves. Every
effort will be mad% to make most of these files available to employees
within the constraints of cover, security, operational or legal require-
ments, and respect for the privacy of other individuals.
DON I. WORTMAN
Deputy Director
for
Administration
DISTRIBUTION: ALL EMPLOYEES (1-6)
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