(a) Upon request and satisfactory proof of identity, an individual appearing at the Commission offices shall be given immediate access to and permission to review any record, contained in a system of records, pertaining to him or her, shall be allowed to have a person of his/her choosing accompany him/her, and shall be given a copy of all or any portion of the record. The individual to which access is granted shall be required to sign a written statement authorizing the presence of the person who accompanies him or her, and authorizing discussion of his or her record in the presence of the accompanying person.

(b) Requests made by mail to the Privacy Officer at the Commission offices will be acknowledged within 10 days from date of receipt (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays). This acknowledgement shall advise the individual whether access to the record will be granted and, if access is granted, copies of such records shall be enclosed.

(c) If the Privacy Officer initially determines to deny access to all or any portion of a record, notice of denial shall be given to the individual in writing, within 30 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) after acknowledgement is given, and shall include the following:

(1) The precise record to which access is being denied;

(2) The reason for denial, including a citation to the appropriate provisions of the Act and of these Rules;

(3) A statement that the denial may be appealed to the Director;

(4) A statement of what steps must be taken to perfect an appeal to the Director; and,

(5) A statement that the individual has a right to judicial review under 5 U.S.C. 552a(g)(1) of any final denial issued by the Director.

(d) Administrative appeal of an initial denial, in whole or in part, of any request for access to a record, shall be available. An individual may appeal by submitting to the Director a written request for reconsideration stating therein specific reasons for reversal which address directly the reasons for denial stated in the initial notice of denial. If access is denied on appeal, a final notice of denial shall be sent to the individual within 30 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays), and shall state with particularity the grounds for rejecting all reasons for reversal submitted by the individual. The denial shall then be deemed final for purposes of obtaining judicial review.

[40 FR 49276, Oct. 21, 1975, as amended at 41 FR 5, Jan. 2, 1976]