COMPLAINTS WRITTEN ON ME BY COWORKERS (Bureau of Indian Affairs)

It appears you are seeking to make a FOIA request, but you sent your request via email rather than using one of the written forms of submission listed on the Department’s FOIA website, https://www.doi.gov/foia, or utilizing physical or facsimile addresses of an appropriate FOIA contact, located at https://www.doi.gov/foia/contacts. Per our regulations, your request cannot be processed until you resubmit it utilizing one of the written forms of submission noted above. See 43 C.F.R. § 2.3(b)<http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.2.5.3>

The FOIA does not require agencies to do research, to analyze data, answer written questions, or to create records in order to respond to a request. Our ability to respond quickly and accurately to your request depends upon the clarification of your request. The request is broad in scope and in an effort to route your request to the appropriate action office, please provide sufficient detail to allow an agency employee familiar with the subject area of the request to locate the records with a reasonable amount of effort. When making your request, you should be as specific as possible with regard to names, office names, dates, addresses, and subjects, Tribes/Nations, Name of Indian Schools etc. For example, if your request relates to a particular office or individual, useful information would include an office name, their address, the type of business they are engaged in and a specific time period. You do not need to give a requested record's name or title, but the more specific you are about the record or types of records that you want, the more likely it will be that an action office will be able to locate those records I have included a link to Assistant Secretary- Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Bureau of Indian Education services to assist you identify the program that may have the record(s) you are requesting https://www.bia.gov /programs-services<https://www.bia.gov/programs-services>. BIE Website: https://www.bie.edu/

According to our regulations, if we do not receive your written response clarifying what records you are looking for within 20 workdays from the date of this letter, we will presume that you are no longer interested in pursuing your request, we will not be able to comply with your request, and we will close our file on it. See 43 C.F.R. § 2.5(d)<https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec&rgn=div5&view=text&node=43:1.1.1.1.2&idno=43#43:1.1.1.1.2.2.5.3>.

In addition, here is the link for information regarding the how to contact other government agencies here: https://www.foia.gov/report- makerequest.html<https://www.foia.gov/report-%20makerequest.html>.

I have provided you with some information to help get you started on how to craft your FOIA request and options of how and where you may submit a FOIA request. The Department of the Interior has an online portal at https://www.doi.gov/foia/fo ia-request-form<https://www.doi.gov/foia/foia-request-form> you may use to submit a FOIA. In addition, you may submit a FOIA request via postal mail, and I have provided the link to the DOI FOIA Contacts for your convenience. You may also email your request to the foia@bia.gov<mailto:foia@bia.gov> for Indian Affairs FOIA requests. Please note, other DOI agencies have their own email for the public to submit FOIA requests directly to the agency here: https://www.doi.gov/foia/contactinfo.

You may appeal this response to the Department’s FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer. If you choose to appeal, the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer must receive your FOIA appeal "no later than 90 workdays from the date of this Email/letter". Appeals arriving or delivered after 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, will be deemed received on the next workday. Your appeal must be made in writing. You may submit your appeal and accompanying materials to the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer by mail, courier service, fax, or email. All communications concerning your appeal should be clearly marked with the words: "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPEAL."
You must include an explanation of why you believe the Bureau of Indian Affairs- FOIA Office’s response is in error. You must also include with your appeal copies of all correspondence between you and Indian Affairs- FOIA Office concerning your FOIA request, including your original FOIA request and Bureau of Indian Affairs- FOIA Office's response. Failure to include with your appeal all correspondence between you and Bureau of Indian Affairs- FOIA Office will result in the Department's rejection of your appeal, unless the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer determines (in the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer’s sole discretion) that good cause exists to accept the defective appeal.

Please include your name and daytime telephone number (or the name and telephone number of an appropriate contact), email address and fax number (if available) in case the FOIA/Privacy Act
Appeals Officer needs additional information or clarification of your appeal.

DOI FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Office Contact Information

Department of the Interior
Office of the Solicitor
1849 C Street, N.W. MS-6556 MIB
Washington, DC 20240

Attn: FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Office
Telephone: (202) 208-5339
Fax: (202) 208-6677
Email: FOIA.Appeals@sol. oi.gov<http://oi.gov/>

The 2007 FOIA amendments created the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) to offer mediation services to resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies as a
non-exclusive alternative to litigation. Using OGIS services does not affect your right to pursue litigation. You may contact OGIS in any of the following ways:

Office of Government Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road - OGIS
College Park, MD 20740-6001
E-mail: ogis@nara.gov<mailto:ogis@nara.gov>
Web: https://ogis.archives.gov<https://ogis.archives.gov/>
Telephone: 202-741-5770
Fax: 202-741-5769
Toll-free: 1-877-684-6448

Please note that using OGIS services does not affect the timing of filing an appeal with the Department’s FOIA & Privacy Act Appeals Officer. If you have any questions about our response to your request, you may contact Indian Affairs FOIA Office by phone at (505) 563-3012, by email at foia@bia.gov<mailto:foia@bia.gov>, or by mail at 1001 Indian School Road NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104. You also may seek dispute resolution services from our FOIA Requester Centers and Public Liaison,at http://www.doi.gov/foia/foiacenters.

Sincerely,

Bureau of Indian Affairs - FOIA Office
1001 Indian School Road NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
Email: foia@bia.gov<mailto:foia@bia.gov>