(a) Except in the instances described in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section, the FOIA office that first receives a request for a record and maintains that record is the FOIA office responsible for responding to the request. The office shall acknowledge the request and assign it an individualized tracking number if it will take longer than ten (10) working days to process. The NASA office responding to the request shall include in the acknowledgment a brief description of the records sought to allow requesters to more easily keep track of their requests.

(b) In determining what records are responsive to a request, a FOIA office ordinarily will include only records in its possession as of the date that it begins its search. If any other date is used, the FOIA office shall inform the requester of that date.

(c) A record that is excluded from the requirements of the FOIA pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(c)(1)-(3), shall not be considered responsive to a request.

(d) The Head of a Center, or designee, is authorized to grant or to deny any requests for records that are maintained by that Center.

(e) The FOIA office may refer a request to or consult with another Center FOIA office or Federal agency in accordance with §1206.308, if the FOIA office receives a request for records that are in its possession that were not created at that Center. If another Center within NASA or another Federal agency has substantial interest in or created the records, the request will either be referred or they will consult with that FOIA office/agency.

(f) If a request for an Agency record is received by a FOIA office not having responsibility of the record (for example, when a request is submitted to one NASA Center or Headquarters and another NASA Center has responsibility of the record), the FOIA office receiving the request shall promptly forward it to that FOIA office within 10 working days from the date of receipt. The receiving FOIA office shall acknowledge the request and provide the requester with a tracking number.

[79 FR 46678, Aug. 11, 2014, as amended at NASA-2019-0005, 84 FR 54775, Oct. 11, 2019]