DMSS Analyses of Form DD2796 Data Related to Chemical Weapons
Tracking # |
2016-011 ; 15-00345 |
Submitted | Nov. 12, 2014 |
Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Remington Nevin
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
Records of all requests for analysis related to responses to question 18 of the April 2003 version of the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (form DD2796), and/or question 19 of the January 2008 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the September 2012 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the October 2014 version of the form DD2796 , which read: “Do you think you were exposed to any chemical, biological, or radiological warfare agents during this deployment?”, received or initiated by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC), from April 2003 to the effective date of processing of this request, as recorded in the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) "request manager" or a related tracking system, to include the titles assigned to such requests, the brief description of the requests in the “request manager” or a related tracking system, as well as the results of any such analyses produced for AFHSC and external DoD and non-DoD customers as a result of such requests, specifically to include the internal report referenced in the New York Times article: “More Than 600 Reported Chemical Exposure in Iraq, Pentagon Acknowledges”(C.J. Chivers, November 6, 2014), which notes that an “internal review of Pentagon records ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has now uncovered that hundreds of troops told the military they believe they were exposed [to chemical weapons]”. DoDD 6490.02E, dated February 8, 2012, specifies the Army as Executive Agent for the AFHSC and DMSS.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Remington Nevin
From: Garris, Barbara A CIV USARMY (US)
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Dear Mr. Nevin:
The attached letter pertains to your Freedom of Information Act request.
V/r,
Barbara Garris
Program Analyst
U.S. Army Freedom of
Information Act Office (ATTN: AAHS-RDF)
7701 Telegraph Road, Suite 150
Alexandria, VA 22315-3905
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: Garris, Barbara A CIV USARMY (US)
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Dear Mr. Nevin:
Your request was forwarded to the agency listed below. You may wish to contact that agency directly regarding any questions you may have on the status of your request as stated in our letter to you dated December 4, 2014.
U.S. Army Medical Command
Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Office
ATTN: MCFP Bldg 126
2748 Worth Road, Suite 21
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-5049
Telephone: (210) 221-4233/4059
Email: usarmy.jbsa.medcom.list.medcom-foia-users@mail.mil
V/r,
Barbara
From: MuckRock
To Whom It May Concern:
The request copied below has been forwarded to your office for processing. Confirmation of receipt and an estimated date of completion would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much for your help.
_______________________________
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
Records of all requests for analysis related to responses to question 18 of the April 2003 version of the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (form DD2796), and/or question 19 of the January 2008 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the September 2012 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the October 2014 version of the form DD2796 , which read: “Do you think you were exposed to any chemical, biological, or radiological warfare agents during this deployment?”, received or initiated by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC), from April 2003 to the effective date of processing of this request, as recorded in the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) "request manager" or a related tracking system, to include the titles assigned to such requests, the brief description of the requests in the “request manager” or a related tracking system, as well as the results of any such analyses produced for AFHSC and external DoD and non-DoD customers as a result of such requests, specifically to include the internal report referenced in the New York Times article: “More Than 600 Reported Chemical Exposure in Iraq, Pentagon Acknowledges”(C.J. Chivers, November 6, 2014), which notes that an “internal review of Pentagon records ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has now uncovered that hundreds of troops told the military they believe they were exposed [to chemical weapons]”. DoDD 6490.02E, dated February 8, 2012, specifies the Army as Executive Agent for the AFHSC and DMSS.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Remington Nevin
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: Remington Nevin
CC: usarmy.jbsa.medcom.list.medcom-foia-users@mail.mil
John P Peterson
Chief, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Office
HQ, U.S. Army Medical Command
ATTN: MCFP Bldg 126
2748 Worth Road, Suite 21
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-5049
210-221-4233
john.p.peterson.civ@mail.mil
Dear Mr. Peterson,
On November 12, 2014, I submitted a request to the U.S. Army for certain records of analyses related to responses on Post-Deployment Health Asessment forms (DD2796), which was promptly acknowledged by the U.S. Army in a reply dated December 4, 2015 as request FA 15-0210, and forwarded to your office for action and direct response.
Since this time, both the original request and multiple requests for its acknowledgement, including those dated January 8, 2015, February 9, 2015, March 11, 2015, April 10, 2015, May 11, 2015, and June 10, 2015, have gone unacknowledged by your office.
The original request was for “[r]ecords of all requests for analysis related to responses to question 18 of the April 2003 version of the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (form DD2796), and/or question 19 of the January 2008 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the September 2012 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the October 2014 version of the form DD2796 , which read: “Do you think you were exposed to any chemical, biological, or radiological warfare agents during this deployment?”, received or initiated by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC), from April 2003 to the effective date of processing of this request, as recorded in the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) "request manager" or a related tracking system, to include the titles assigned to such requests, the brief description of the requests in the “request manager” or a related tracking system, as well as the results of any such analyses produced for AFHSC and external DoD and non-DoD customers as a result of such requests, specifically to include the internal report referenced in the New York Times article: “More Than 600 Reported Chemical Exposure in Iraq, Pentagon Acknowledges”(C.J. Chivers, November 6, 2014), which notes that an “internal review of Pentagon records ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has now uncovered that hundreds of troops told the military they believe they were exposed [to chemical weapons]”. DoDD 6490.02E, dated February 8, 2012, specifies the Army as Executive Agent for the AFHSC and DMSS.”
I also note that according to a Department of the Army document dated November 14, 2014 (available at http://www.oaa.army.mil/FetchFile.ashx?DocID=475), the Secretary of the Army delegated Executive Agent responsibilities for the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center to the office of the Army Surgeon General. These responsibilities include ensuring compliance with the provisions of the FOIA.
Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response from your office, or if further clarification is needed. I would appreciate a response by July 17, 2015.
Thank you for your help.
Dr. Remington Nevin
From: Remington Nevin
CC: judith.l.evans8.ctr@mail.mil
Ms. Judith L. Evans
Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center
11800 Tech Road, Suite 220
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Tel: 301-319-3240
Email: usarmy.ncr.medcom-afhs.mbx.media@mail.mil
July 8, 2015
Dear Ms. Evans,
It was good speaking with you today about this FOIA request. As I understand, you have received this request, and AFHSC, reporting to DHA, is the correct agency for this request. I shall look forward to a formal acknowledgement of receipt within the week by email.
Sincerely,
Dr. Remington Nevin
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: Remington Nevin
CC: dha.ncr.pcl.mbx.foia-requests@mail.mil
Defense Health Agency Freedom of Information Service Center
7700 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 5101
Falls Church, Virginia 22042-5101
Phone: (703) 681-7500
Fax: (703) 681-5138
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
I hereby request the following records: Records of all requests for analysis related to responses to question 18 of the April 2003 version of the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (form DD2796), and/or question 19 of the January 2008 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the September 2012 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the October 2014 version of the form DD2796 , which read: “Do you think you were exposed to any chemical, biological, or radiological warfare agents during this deployment?”, received or initiated by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC), from April 2003 to the effective date of processing of this request, as recorded in the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) "request manager" or a related tracking system, to include the titles assigned to such requests, the brief description of the requests in the “request manager” or a related tracking system, as well as the results of any such analyses produced for AFHSC and external DoD and non-DoD customers as a result of such requests, specifically to include the internal report referenced in the New York Times article: “More Than 600 Reported Chemical Exposure in Iraq, Pentagon Acknowledges”(C.J. Chivers, November 6, 2014), which notes that an “internal review of Pentagon records ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has now uncovered that hundreds of troops told the military they believe they were exposed [to chemical weapons]”.
According to DoDD 6490.02E (effective October 3, 2013), the Secretary of the Army is the Executive Agent for the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC), which maintains and operates both the DoDSR and the DMSS. As such, this request was first submitted directly to the Army on November 12, 2014 and ultimately referred to the Army MEDCOM, where the request has remained formally unacknowledged. The request was subsequently informally referred by MEDCOM to the AFHSC for response, where the request has also remained formally unacknowledged. However, as described in a public news release (http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/614118/three-organizations-set-to-join-the-defense-health-agency), on August 23, 2015, the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center changed its name to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch, and now operates under the Defense Health Agency’s Public Health Division within the Healthcare Operations Directorate. The requested documents should now thus be records maintained by the DHA.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Remington Nevin
From: Defense Health Agency
A cover letter granting the request and outlining any exempted materials, if any.
From: Defense Health Agency
A copy of documents responsive to the request.
From: Remington Nevin
CC: dha.ncr.pcl.mbx.foia-requests@mail.mil
Defense Health Agency Freedom of Information Service Center
7700 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 5101
Falls Church, Virginia 22042-5101
Phone: (703) 681-7500
Fax: (703) 681-5138
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on November 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
'This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: Records of all requests for analysis related to responses to question 18 of the April 2003 version of the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (form DD2796), and/or question 19 of the January 2008 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the September 2012 version of form DD2796, and/or question 18 of the October 2014 version of the form DD2796 , which read: “Do you think you were exposed to any chemical, biological, or radiological warfare agents during this deployment?”, received or initiated by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC), from April 2003 to the effective date of processing of this request, as recorded in the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) "request manager" or a related tracking system, to include the titles assigned to such requests, the brief description of the requests in the “request manager” or a related tracking system, as well as the results of any such analyses produced for AFHSC and external DoD and non-DoD customers as a result of such requests, specifically to include the internal report referenced in the New York Times article: “More Than 600 Reported Chemical Exposure in Iraq, Pentagon Acknowledges”(C.J. Chivers, November 6, 2014), which notes that an “internal review of Pentagon records ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has now uncovered that hundreds of troops told the military they believe they were exposed [to chemical weapons]”'
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
Dr. Remington Nevin
From: DHA NCR PCL Mailbox FOIA Requests
Dr. Nevin,
Attached is the FOIA Acknowledgement Letter for your review.
v/r,
Angela McDowell
Senior Analyst, Axiom Contract Support
DHA Privacy and Civil Liberties Office
Main: 703-681-7500
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2016-011 ; 15-00345.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2016-011 ; 15-00345.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: DHA NCR PCL Mailbox FOIA Requests
Dr. Nevin,
We have received your follow-up inquiry and researched the status. The estimated completion date for your request is February 15, 2016. Please be advised that this date is merely an estimate and your request may be processed sooner or later than indicated. Additionally, the complexity of backlogged cases in our queue, which were received prior to your request, may affect timely processing of your request.
Please be assured that we are working as quickly as possible to research and deliver the responsive records (if any), that you have requested.
v/r,
Angela McDowell
Senior Analyst, Axiom Contract Support
DHA Privacy and Civil Liberties Office
Main: 703-275-6363
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2016-011 ; 15-00345.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2016-011 ; 15-00345.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2016-011 ; 15-00345.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Nov. 12, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #2016-011 ; 15-00345.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: DHA NCR PCL Mailbox FOIA Requests
Good afternoon,
Please see the attached document regarding your FOIA request.
v/r
Jessie Ludin
Junior Analyst, Axiom Contract Support
Defense Health Headquarters
DHA Privacy and Civil Liberties Office
7700 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 5101
Falls Church, VA 22042
Main: 703-275-6363
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