Individual's Right of Amendment Under the Privacy Act


Pursuant the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a (d)), an individual can request an amendment of his or her own record, providing the record is inaccurate, irrelevant, untimely, or incomplete.

To request an amendment to your record, we recommend that you:

(1) Request a copy of the record by submitting a request to the DoD OIG Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office;

(2) Review your requested record(s) and determine which specific information is inaccurate, irrelevant, untimely, or incomplete; and

(3) Submit a written request for amendment to the DoD OIG FOIA Office. Your request should be labeled “Privacy Act Request to Amend Records”. Your request should clearly describe the record, the information you request be amended, and the reason or justification for the change.

When submitting a request for records about yourself, a completed DoD OIG Certification of Identity is required. The purpose of this form is to ensure that information contained in a DoD OIG system of record, is not inadvertently disclosed to a third party. Requests for first-party records will not be processed until a completed certification of identity form is received.

Once the FOIA Office receives your request, a reply is sent to you acknowledging your request and providing you with a tracking number. You will be contacted if additional information is needed. To request a status of your Privacy Act request for amendment of record, you may contact the DoD OIG FOIA Office.

Additional policies and resources for amendment of records:
DoD 5400.11-R, DoD Privacy Program, Chapter 3
DoDI 5505.07 – Titling and Indexing in Criminal Investigations