§ 705.8 Appeal of an initial adverse agency determination.

(a) Any individual whose request for access or for a correction or amendment that has been denied, in whole or in part, by the General Counsel may appeal that decision to the Staff Director of the Commission, 624 9th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20425, or to a designee of the Staff Director. (b) The appeal shall be in writing and shall: (1) Name the individual making the appeal; (2) Identify the record sought to be amended or corrected; (3) Name the record system in which that record is contained; (4) Contain a short statement describing the amendment or correction sought; and (5) State the name of the person who initially denied the correction or amendment. (c) Not later than thirty (30) working days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the date on which the agency received the appeal, the Staff Director shall complete his or her review of the appeal and make a final decision thereon, unless, for good cause shown, the Staff Director extends the appeal period beyond the initial thirty (30) day appeal period. In the event of such an extension, the Staff Director shall promptly notify the individual making the appeal that the period for a final decision has been extended. (d) After review of an appeal request, the Staff Director will send a written notice to the requester containing the following information: (1) The decision; and if the denial is upheld, the reasons for the decision; (2) The right of the requester to institute a civil action in a Federal District Court for judicial review of the decision if the appeal is denied; and (3) The right of the requester to file with the Commission a concise statement setting forth the reasons for his or her disagreement with the Commission's decision denying the request. The Commission shall make this statement available to any person to whom the record is later disclosed together with a brief statement, if the Commission considers it appropriate, of the agency's reasons for denying the requested correction or amendment. These statements shall also be provided to all prior recipients of the record to the extent that it is relevant to the information previously furnished to a recipient pursuant to the Privacy Act.