36 CFR § 1223.12
What are the objectives of a vital records program?
November 4, 2020
A vital records program has two objectives:
(a) It provides an agency with the information it needs to conduct its business under other than normal operating conditions and to resume normal business afterward; and
(b) It enables agency officials to identify and protect the most important records dealing with the legal and financial rights of the agency and of persons directly affected by the agency's actions.