SORN 09-90-0038

System name:  Secretary's Official Files, HHS/OS/ES.

Security classification:   None

System location:  Room 636G, Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201.

Categories of individuals covered by the system:   Individuals who have contacted the Secretary or the Under Secretary or who have been contacted in writing by them.

Categories of records in the system:   Hard copies of documents signed or initialed by the Secretary or the Under Secretary.

Authority for maintenance of the system:   5 U.S.C. 301.

Purpose(s):

The Secretary's Official Files are maintained to preserve the historical record of actions taken by the decisions made by the Secretary and the Under Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes of such uses:

Disclosure may be made to a congressional office from the record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the congressional office made at the request of that individual. In the event of litigation where the defendant is (a) the Department, and component of the Department, or any employee of the Department, or any employee of the Department in his or her official capacity; (b) the United States where the Department determines that the claim, if successful, is likely to directly affect the operations of the Department or any of its components; or (c) any Department employee in his or her individual capacity where the Justice Department has agreed to represent such employee, the Department may disclose such records as it deems desirable or necessary to the Department of justice to enable that Department to present an effective defense provided such disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which the records were collected.

Records may be disclosed to student volunteers, individuals working under a personal services contract, and other individuals performing functions for the Department but technically not having the status of agency employees, if they need access to the records in order to perform their assigned agency functions.

Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining, and disposing of records in the system:

Storage:  The records are maintained in hard copy filed in standard file cabinets.

Retrievability:  Records are indexed by subject, name, organization, and key words. Records are available to the staff of the Executive Secretariat and the Immediate Office of the Secretary for reference purposes in staffing out issues of concern to the Secretary of the Under Secretary.

Safeguards:  Direct access is limited to the staff of the Executive Secretariat. Access is limited during non-working hours to individuals with keys to the file room.

Retention and disposal:  Records are maintained for three years and are then sent to the National Archives.

System manager(s) and address:  Executive Secretary to the Department, Room 636G, Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201.

Notification procedure:  Inquiries should be addressed to the system manager at the above address. The inquirer should indicate the subject matter of the issue involved, the date of the subject documents, and the author and/or addresses.

Record access procedures:  Same as above.

Contesting record procedures:  Same as above. In addition indicate corrective action sought and reason for corrections with supporting justification.

Record source categories:  Records are derived from documents signed or initialed by the Secretary of the Under Secretary.

Systems exempted from certain provisions of the act:  None.