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Virginia law gives citizens of Virginia (and certain news outlets) the right to request and receive public records from public bodies like Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority (VCU Health System), subject to certain exemptions. This law is called the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located in § 2.2-3700, et seq., of the Code of Virginia. FOIA is designed to increase public awareness about governmental activities.
If you are a citizen of Virginia, you have the right to request public records from VCU Health System. A public record is any writing or recording – whether paper, electronic, video or any other format – that is made, owned by, or in the possession of a public body or its employees if the record was made while transacting public business. Public bodies, including VCU Health System, must provide records that are requested unless FOIA provides an exemption for that record type.
To request public records from VCU Health System, please contact our FOIA Officer. Please be prepared to provide a description of your request and be as specific as possible. You may be asked to provide your contact information if follow-up clarifications are required. You do not need to state the reason for your request. You will be charged fees that represent the actual cost of reproducing the records you receive. Please scroll down for more information on fees.
The person who can assist you with your request is our FOIA Officer:
The types of public records maintained by VCU Health System include, but are not limited to:
VCU Health System is exempt from providing certain types of public records. The types of records that VCU Health System will NOT provide under FOIA include, but are not limited to:
This list is not exhaustive. For additional exemptions, please also see Virginia Code §§2.2-3705.1 through 2.2-3705.8.
The general policy of VCU Health System is to invoke the above-listed exemptions in those instances where they apply to protect the privacy of its employees and patients and confidentiality of certain types of records meriting such protection under FOIA.
A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records. No public body shall impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. All charges for the supplying of requested records shall be estimated in advance at the request of the citizen as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.
VCU Health System may require a deposit if the estimated charges will be in excess of $200. If VCU Health System asks for a deposit, the 5-day response window is on hold until we receive your response. Please note: actual costs may differ from the estimate.
To comment on the quality of assistance you receive after you request public records from VCU Health System, please visit the Freedom of Information Advisory Council’s website at http://foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov/sample%20letters/welcome.htm and click on “Public Comment Form.”