Selective Service System’s 2019 Chief FOIA Officer Report Section 1:  Steps Taken to Apply the Presumption of OpennessA.  FOIA Leadership1.  The FOIA requires each agency to designate a Chief FOIA Officer who is a senior official at least at the Assistant Secretary or equivalent level.  Is your agency’s Chief FOIA Officer at or above this level?  Yes2.  Please provide the name and title of your agency’s Chief FOIA Officer. Wadi A. Yakhour, Chief of Staff. B.  FOIA Training3. Did your FOIA professionals or the personnel at your agency who have FOIA responsibilities attend any substantive FOIA training or conference during the reporting period such as that provided by the Department of Justice? Yes4. If yes, please provide a brief description of the type of training attended or conducted and the topics covered. FOIA staff attended training and Best Practices Workshops conducted by the Department of Justice. The training included: 1) Advanced Freedom of Information Act Seminar; 2) Chief FOIA Officer Report Training; 3) Annual FOIA Report Training; 4) Best Practices Workshop focused on backlog reduction; and 5) Continuing Freedom of Information Act Education.5. Provide an estimate of the percentage of your FOIA professionals and staff with FOIA responsibilities who attended substantive FOIA training during this reporting period. One-half, 50% of the SSS FOIA collateral staff attended training during this reporting period.6. OIP has directed agencies to “take steps to ensure that all of their FOIA professionals attend substantive FOIA training at least once throughout the year.” If your response to the previous question is that less than 80% of your FOIA professionals attended training, please explain your agency’s plan to ensure that all FOIA professionals receive or attend substantive FOIA training during the next reporting year.SSS is committed to FOIA staff completing training. The FOIA staff consists of two employees for which FOIA is a collateral duty. In spite of limited resources FOIA staff was able to take advantage of the excellent DOJ workshop series and reviewed posted DOJ OIP training. C. Outreach7. Did your FOIA professionals engage in any outreach or dialogue with the requester community or open government groups regarding your administration of the FOIA?  Please describe any such outreach or dialogue, and, if applicable, any specific examples of how this dialogue has led to improvements in your agency’s FOIA administration. During the FOIA process staff engages with the requester when there are questions or additional information is required. D. Other Initiatives8. Describe any efforts your agency has undertaken to inform non-FOIA professionals of their obligations under the FOIA.  In 2016, the Department publicized FOIA-related performance standards for employees that have any role in administering the FOIA, including non-FOIA professionals.  Please also indicate whether your agency has considered including FOIA-related performance standards in employee work plans for employees who have any role in administering the FOIA. FOIA staff works with program staff members on FOIA requests, exemptions and requirements. The FOIA Officer has FOIA related performance standards in their work plan. 9. If there are any other initiatives undertaken by your agency to ensure that the presumption of openness is being applied, please describe them here. First, the content of each requested record is examined by the program office, FOIA staff and General Counsel to ascertain whether or not the record is classified or pertains to national security, commercial and financial information, personal privacy, and information protected by statute. If so, the record is generally not released. However, few requests involve the foregoing categories. Second, each record is carefully reviewed to see if it fits all requirements of the exemption being considered. The age of the document is also looked at to determine if it is outdated and has been superseded by a newer version and is no longer sensitive. On the rare occasion that an exemption may apply, the FOIA staff and the Office of General Counsel determine if a partial release of any portion of the record can be made. FOIA staff looks at each request with a presumption of openness and releases portions of the record when the full release is not possible. Therefore, everything else has been released; in fact, the vast preponderance of requests are satisfied fully. If there were to be an exemption that is subject to discretionary release, it would be reviewed under the foreseeable harm standard. This policy of discretionary releases has been maximized through our centralized system. Since one office handles all FOIA actions, this policy is practiced uniformly.Section II:  Steps Taken to Ensure that Your Agency Has an Effective System in Place for Responding to RequestsDOJ’s FOIA Guidelines emphasize that “[a]pplication of the proper disclosure standard is only one part of ensuring transparency.  Open government requires not just a presumption of disclosure, but also an effective system for responding to FOIA requests.” It is essential that agencies effectively manage their FOIA program.Please answer the following questions to describe the steps your agency has taken to ensure that the management of your FOIA program is effective and efficient.  You should also include any additional information that that describes your agency's efforts in this area.1. For Fiscal Year 2018, what was the average number of days your agency reported for adjudicating requests for expedited processing?  Please see Section VIII.A. of your agency's Fiscal Year 2018 Annual FOIA Report. 0.2. If your agency's average number of days to adjudicate requests for expedited processing was above ten calendar days, please describe the steps your agency will take to ensure that requests for expedited processing are adjudicated within ten calendar days or less. N/A3. During the reporting period, did your agency conduct a self-assessment of its FOIA program?  If so, please describe the methods used, such as reviewing Annual Report data, using active workflows and track management, reviewing and updating processing procedures, etc. N/ANote: In September 2017, OIP released a FOIA Self-Assessment Toolkit as a resource for agencies conducting a self-assessment of their FOIA program. The Toolkit is available on OIP’s website for all agencies to use. 4. The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 requires additional notification to requesters about the services provided by the agency’s FOIA Public Liaison.  Please provide an estimate of the number of times requesters sought assistance from your agency’s FOIA Public Liaison during FY 2018 (please provide a total number or an estimate of the number). 0.5. Please describe the best practices used to ensure that your FOIA system operates efficiently and effectively and any challenges your agency faces in this area.  First, the content of each requested record is examined by the program office, FOIA staff and General Counsel. FOIA staff looks at each request with a presumption of openness. This policy of discretionary releases has been maximized through our centralized system. Since one office handles all FOIA actions, this policy is practiced uniformly.Section III:  Steps Taken to Increase Proactive DisclosuresThe Department of Justice has long focused on the need for agencies to work proactively to post information online without waiting for individual requests to be received.Please answer the following questions to describe the steps your agency has taken to increase the amount of material that is available on your agency websites.  In addition to the questions below, you should also describe any additional steps taken by your agency to make and improve proactive disclosures of information.1.  Provide examples of material that your agency has proactively disclosed during the past reporting year, including links to the posted material. Annual Reports to Congress https://www.sss.gov/Reports/Annual-Report-to-CongressPerformance and Accountability Reporthttps://www.sss.gov/Reports/Financial-Reports/Performance-Accountability-ReportPerformance Budget Justificationhttps://www.sss.gov/Reports-and-Notices/Financial-Reports/Performance-Budget-JustificationFederal Employee Viewpoint Surveyhttps://www.sss.gov/Reports-and-Notices/Human-Capital-SurveyAnnual FOIA Reporthttps://www.sss.gov/Portals/0/FOIA/Selective%20Service%20System%20FOIA%20Annual%20Report%202015.pdfChief FOIA Officer Reporthttps://www.sss.gov/Portals/0/PDFs/Chief%20FOIA%202015.pdfFOIA Quarterly Raw Data https://www.sss.gov/FOIA/Quarterly/SSS-2017-Raw-Data.ziphttps://www.sss.gov/FOIA/Quarterly/SSS-2018-Raw-Data.zip2. Please describe how your agency identifies records that have been requested and released three or more times (and are therefore required to be proactively disclosed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(2)(D)).  The FOIA staff determines records for proactive disclosures by means of professional judgment, public feedback, review of FOIA requests received, and analysis of correspondence and requests. Consequently, Selective Service continues to post information about the agency and individuals, policies, plans, and procedures on its public website to inform the public of available records and information. We already know what types of information will probably be disclosed by category/type. Selective Service has a vast amount of information and records posted on the Agency’s internet which affords the public easy and fast access. 3. Beyond posting new material, is your agency taking steps to make the posted information more useful to the public, especially to the community of individuals who regularly access your agency’s website? Yes4. If yes, please provide examples of such improvements. The Agency is maximizing the presentation of informational print, radio and TV materials on the Agency's website. Additionally, the Agency is able to disseminate information and solicit feedback through social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. Both are linked to the SSS website. The Agency uses Twitter as another means of communication and dissemination of information with the public. The public's comments are reviewed and responded to on a continual basis. The public may also contact us through our Information@sss.gov email account linked on our website.a.https://www.sss.gov/mediab.https://www.facebook.com/SSSregistration?ref=ts&fref=tsc.https://www.youtube.com/user/SelectiveServ?feature=watchd. https://mobile.twitter.com/SSS_gov5. Please describe the best practices used to improve proactive disclosures and any challenges your agency faces in this area.    Selective Service continually posts information about the agency and individuals, policies, plans, and procedures on its public website, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to inform the public what records and information are available. Information is reviewed to see how often the topic is requested. If it is requested more than a few times, the information is posted on our website or on our Facebook page. FOIA staff solicits information on topics of interest and developing issues from agency staff at all levels on an ongoing basis. With agency staff input, FOIA and PIA staffs post this information on our website and social media venues.Section IV:  Steps Taken to Greater Utilize TechnologyA key component of FOIA administration is using technology to make information more accessible.  In addition to using the internet to make proactive disclosures, agencies should also be exploring ways to utilize technology in responding to requests. Please answer the following questions to describe how your agency is utilizing technology to improve its FOIA administration and the public's access to information.  You should also include any additional information that that describes your agency's efforts in this area.1. Is your agency leveraging technology to facilitate efficiency in conducting searches, including searches for emails?  If so, please describe the type of technology used.  If not, please explain why and please describe the typical search process used instead.  The FOIA Officer notifies program staff of a FOIA request and requests that a thorough search be done for the information requested. Search includes all relevant information, records and files, documents and emails. 2.  OIP issued guidance in 2017 encouraging agencies to regularly review their FOIA websites to ensure that they contain essential resources and are informative and user-friendly.  Has your agency reviewed its FOIA website(s) during the reporting period to ensure it addresses the elements noted in the guidance?  Yes, information is constantly updated and expanded and website is updated to make it more user-friendly and easier to negotiate.  3. Did your agency successfully post all four quarterly reports for Fiscal Year 2018? Yes4. If your agency did not successfully post all quarterly reports, with information appearing on FOIA.gov, please explain why and provide your agency’s plan for ensuring that such reporting is successful in Fiscal Year 2019. N/A5.  The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 requires all agencies to post the raw statistical data used to compile their Annual FOIA Reports.  Please provide the link to this posting for your agency’s Fiscal Year 2017 Annual FOIA Report and, if available, for your agency’s Fiscal Year 2018 Annual FOIA Report.  https://www.sss.gov/FOIA/Quarterly/SSS-2017-Raw-Data.ziphttps://www.sss.gov/FOIA/Quarterly/SSS-2018-Raw-Data.zip6.  Please describe the best practices used in greater utilizing technology and any challenges your agency faces in this area.  Information is constantly updated and expanded and website is updated to make it more user-friendly and easier to negotiate. Information is better grouped – concomitant components are together -- and easier to access. Section V:  Steps Taken to Improve Timeliness in Responding to Requests and Reducing BacklogsThe Department of Justice has emphasized the importance of improving timeliness in responding to requests.  This section of your Chief FOIA Officer Report addresses both time limits and backlog reduction.  Backlog reduction is measured both in terms of numbers of backlogged requests or appeals and by looking at whether agencies closed their ten oldest requests, appeals, and consultations.For the figures required in this Section, please use the numbers contained in the specified sections of your agency’s 2018 Annual FOIA Report and, when applicable, your agency’s 2017 Annual FOIA Report.A. Simple TrackSection VII.A of your agency’s Annual FOIA Report, entitled "FOIA Requests – Response Time for All Processed Requests," includes figures that show your agency's average response times for processed requests. For agencies utilizing a multi-track system to process requests, there is a category for "simple" requests, which are those requests that are placed in the agency’s fastest (non-expedited) track, based on the low volume and/or simplicity of the records requested.1. Does your agency utilize a separate track for simple requests?  If your agency uses a multi-track system beyond simple, complex, and expedited to process requests, please describe the tracks you use and how they promote efficiency.   N/A2. If your agency uses a separate track for simple requests, was the agency overall average number of days to process simple requests twenty working days or fewer in Fiscal Year 2018? N/A3. Please provide the percentage of requests processed by your agency in Fiscal Year 2018 that were placed in your simple track. N/A 4. If your agency does not track simple requests separately, was the average number of days to process all non-expedited requests twenty working days or fewer? Yes the average number of days to process all non-expedited requests was twenty working days or fewer. Fifty-three requests were processed in twenty days or less; one request was processed in twenty-one days or more.B. BacklogsSection XII.A of your agency’s Annual FOIA Report, entitled "Backlogs of FOIA Requests and Administrative Appeals" shows the numbers of any backlogged requests or appeals from the fiscal year. You should refer to these numbers from your Annual FOIA Reports for both Fiscal Year 2016 and Fiscal Year 2017 when completing this section of your Chief FOIA Officer Report.BACKLOGGED REQUESTS5. If your agency had a backlog of requests at the close of Fiscal Year 2018, did that backlog decrease as compared with the backlog reported at the end of Fiscal Year 2017? N/A6.  If not, did your agency process more requests during Fiscal Year 2018 than it did during Fiscal Year 2017? Yes7. If your agency’s request backlog increased during Fiscal Year 2018, please explain why and describe the causes that contributed to your agency not being able to reduce its backlog.  When doing so, please also indicate if any of the following were contributing factors: N/AAn increase in the number of incoming requests. N/AA loss of staff. N/AAn increase in the complexity of the requests received.  If possible, please provide examples or briefly describe the types of complex requests contributing to your backlog increase. N/AAny other reasons – please briefly describe or provide examples when possible. N/A8. If you had a request backlog please report the percentage of requests that make up the backlog out of the total number of requests received by your agency in Fiscal Year 2018. If your agency has no request backlog, please answer with “N/A.”BACKLOGGED APPEALS9. If your agency had a backlog of appeals at the close of Fiscal Year 2018, did that backlog decrease as compared with the backlog reported at the end of Fiscal Year 2017?   N/A10.  If not, did your agency process more appeals during Fiscal Year 2018 than it did during Fiscal Year 2017? N/A11. If your agency’s appeal backlog increased during Fiscal Year 2018, please explain why and describe the causes that contributed to your agency not being able to reduce its backlog.  When doing so, please also indicate if any of the following were contributing factors: N/AAn increase in the number of incoming appeals. N/AA loss of staff. N/AAn increase in the complexity of the requests received.  If possible, please provide examples or briefly describe the types of complex requests contributing to your backlog increase. N/AAny other reasons – please briefly describe or provide examples when possible. N/A12. If you had an appeal backlog please report the percentage of appeals that make up the backlog out of the total number of appeals received by your agency in Fiscal Year 2018. If your agency did not receive any appeals in Fiscal Year 2018 and/or has no appeal backlog, please answer with "N/A."C. Backlog Reduction Plans 13. In the 2018 guidelines for Chief FOIA Officer Reports, any agency with a backlog of over 1000 requests in Fiscal Year 2017 was asked to provide a plan for achieving backlog reduction in the year ahead.  Did you agency implement a backlog reduction plan last year?  If so, describe your agency’s efforts in implementing this plan and note if your agency was able to achieve backlog reduction in Fiscal Year 2018? N/A14. If your agency had a backlog of more than 1,000 requests in Fiscal Year 2018, what is your agency’s plan to reduce this backlog during Fiscal Year 2019?  N/AD. Status of Oldest Requests, Appeals, and ConsultationsSection VII.E, entitled "Pending Requests – Ten Oldest Pending Requests," Section VI.C.(5), entitled "Ten Oldest Pending Administrative Appeals," and Section XII.C., entitled "Consultations on FOIA Requests – Ten Oldest Consultations Received from Other Agencies and Pending at Your Agency," show the ten oldest pending requests, appeals, and consultations”. You should refer to these numbers from your Annual FOIA Reports for both Fiscal Year 2016 and Fiscal Year 2017 when completing this section of your Chief FOIA Officer Report.OLDEST REQUESTS15. In Fiscal Year 2018, did your agency close the ten oldest requests that were reported pending in your Fiscal Year 2017 Annual FOIA Report? N/A16. If no, please provide the number of these requests your agency was able to close by the end of the fiscal year, as listed in Section VII.E of your Fiscal Year 2016 Annual FOIA Report.  If you had fewer than ten total oldest requests to close, please indicate that. N/A17. Of the requests your agency was able to close from your ten oldest, please indicate how many of these were closed because the request was withdrawn by the requester.  If any were closed because the request was withdrawn, did you provide any interim responses prior to the withdrawal? N/A18.  Beyond work on the ten oldest requests, please describe any steps your agency took to reduce the overall age of your pending requests.  N/ATEN OLDEST APPEALS19. In Fiscal Year 2018, did your agency close the ten oldest appeals that were reported pending in your Fiscal Year 2017 Annual FOIA Report? N/A20. If no, please provide the number of these appeals your agency was able to close by the end of the fiscal year, as listed in Section VII.C.(5) of your Fiscal Year 2017 Annual FOIA Report.  If you had fewer than ten total oldest appeals to close, please indicate that. N/A21. Beyond work on the ten oldest appeals, please describe any steps your agency took to reduce the overall age of your pending appeals. N/ATEN OLDEST CONSULTATIONS22. In Fiscal Year 2018, did your agency close the ten oldest consultations that were reported pending in your Fiscal Year 2017 Annual FOIA Report? N/A23. If no, please provide the number of these consultations your agency was able to close by the end of the fiscal year, as listed in Section XII.C. of your Fiscal Year 2017 Annual FOIA Report.  If you had fewer than ten total oldest consultations to close, please indicate that. N/AE. Additional Information on Ten Oldest Requests, Appeals, and Consultations & Plans24. Briefly explain any obstacles your agency faced in closing its ten oldest requests, appeals, and consultations from Fiscal Year 2018. N/A25. If your agency was unable to close any of its ten oldest requests because you were waiting to hear back from other agencies on consultations you sent, please provide the date the request was initially received by your agency, the date when your agency sent the consultation, and the date when you last contacted the agency where the consultation was pending. N/A26. If your agency did not close its ten oldest pending requests, appeals, or consultations, please provide a plan describing how your agency intends to close those “ten oldest” requests, appeals, and consultations during Fiscal Year 2018. N/AF. Success StoriesOut of all the activities undertaken by your agency since March 2018 to increase transparency and improve FOIA administration, please briefly describe here at least one success story that you would like to highlight as emblematic of your agency’s efforts. The success story can come from any one of the five key areas. As noted above, OIP will highlight these agency success stories during Sunshine Week.  To facilitate this process, all agencies should use bullets to describe their success story and limit their text to a half page. The success story is designed to be a quick summary of key achievements. A complete description of all your efforts will be contained in the body of your Chief FOIA Officer Report.During FY 2018, Selective Service significantly boosted its social media presence, expanding from two platforms into numerous platforms for the first time in agency history: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Spotify, Google, Flickr, and Reddit.We believe that by our social media efforts we have been able to increase transparency and open government thereby reducing the number and types of FOIA requests. The Agency has also increased the amount of subject matter covered on our website and will continue to do so.010383321852Microsoft Office Word018251falseTitle1US Selective Service Systemfalse25634falsefalse14.0000Wingo, Betty LouLee Alexander(PCA Contractor)22019-02-12T20:12:00Z2019-03-18T14:12:00Z2019-03-18T14:12:00Z