Source: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/united-states-of-america-10/department-heads-travel-expenses-communications-us-department-of-veterans-affairs-51153/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 16:27:09+00:00

Document:
Elijah Kaplan filed this request with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of the United States of America.
Attached to this message is VHA's acknowledgment of your FOIA Request. Ms. Deana Marakowski will be processing your request and her contact information is listed on the attached letter. Please let me know if you should have any questions.
This is the initial agency to your FOIA request dated March 15, 2018 and received in the VA Office of Acquisition, Logistics & Construction (OALC) FOIA office on March 29, 2018, our search cutoff date. You requested: "All communications and documents regarding the travel expenditures of all agency political appointees confirmed by the Senate from January 20, 2017 to present."
Please refer to FOIA 18-05864-F when communicating with the VA about this FOIA request. To clarify, the OALC FOIA office responds for only potential responsive records located within VA OALC. Nine (9) other VA FOIA offices will respond to you separately relating to records located within their own respective VA components.
The VA OALC Principal Executive Director is not a VA political appointee confirmed by the Senate, but rather a competitive position. OALC has no political appointees confirmed by the Senate. Thus, we have no responsive records.
The undersigned processed your request. Should you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the processing of this request, you have the right to seek assistance from the VA FOIA Public Liaison at 1-877-750-3642 or by email at vacofoiase@va.gov<mailto:vacofoiase@va.gov>.
Additionally, as part of the 2007 FOIA amendments, the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) was created 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 by email at ogis@nara.gov<mailto:ogis@nara.gov>; by toll-free telephone at 1-877-684-6448 (or 202-741-5770); by facsimile at 202-741-5769; or by writing to: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2510, College Park, MD 20740-6001.
Should you disagree with these findings, you may administratively appeal in writing to: General Counsel (024), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20420. You must file your appeal within 90 days from the date of this letter clearly marking both the letter and the envelope "Freedom of Information Act Appeal." Please include a copy of this letter with your appeal, and state why you disagree with this determination.
If you are dissatisfied with any appeal results, judicial review will thereafter be available to you in the United States District Court of your residence, principal place of business, or the District of Columbia where the records you seek are located.
These messages and attachments are For Official Use Only, not to be shared outside intended parties, and may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(3) prohibiting the release of information that another statute prohibits; 41 U.S.C. § 4702(b) prohibiting the release of unincorporated proposals; 41 U.S.C. § 423(a) prohibiting the release of bid or proposal information or evaluations before award; 26 U.S.C. § 6103 prohibiting the release of tax identification numbers; 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4) prohibiting the release of confidential commercial information; 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5) under the deliberative process, attorney-client, and work product privileges; and 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6) protecting personally identifiable information. If you received these messages and attachments in error, you must inform the FOIA Officer and destroy them immediately. The VA reserves its discovery rights including, but not limited to, objections, privileges, motions, etc.
Attached please find the Veterans Health Administration's notice of administrative closure.
If you should have any questions regarding the information you are receiving, please just let me know.
Please review the attached letter and records in response to your March 15, 2018, FOIA/PA request to the VA Office of General Counsel.
Thank you for your interest in the VA.
This is the Initial Agency Decision to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (OSVA) dated and received March 15, 2018, and assigned FOIA tracking number 18-05608-F. You requested "All communications and documents regarding the travel expenditures of all agency political appointees confirmed by the Senate from January 20, 2017 to present."
As attached, on June 21, 2018, we sought clarification as to whether you are still interested in your FOIA request. Because we did not receive this clarification within thirty (30) days, we concluded that you are no longer in pursuing your FOIA request. 38 C.F.R. § 1.554(d)(4).
If you should choose to file an appeal, please include a copy of this letter with your written appeal and clearly indicate the basis for your disagreement with the determination set forth in this response. Please be advised that in accordance with VA's implementing FOIA regulations at 38 C.F.R. § 1.559, your appeal must be postmarked no later than ninety (90) days of the date of this letter.

References: § 552
 § 4702
 § 423
 § 6103
 § 552
 § 552
 § 552
 § 1
 § 1