Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 495 - Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System › Chapter 17 - Public Records and Fair Information Practices › Rule 495-17.3 - Requests for Access to Records

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
(1)
Location of record.
A request for access to a record under the
			 jurisdiction of the agency shall be directed to the CEO or designee, Iowa
			 Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS), 7401 Register Drive, P.O. Box
			 9117, Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9117.
(2)
Office hours.
Records
			 shall be made available during all customary office hours which are from 8 a.m.
			 to 4:30 p.m., excluding officially designated holidays.
(3)
Request for access.
Requests for access to open records may be made in writing, by telephone,
			 electronically or in person. IPERS may request the name, address, telephone
			 number, and the email address (if available) of the person requesting the
			 information to ensure timely delivery of the documentation, search fee, or
			 both, if applicable. All requests for information regarding member accounts
			 must contain the member's identification number or social security number.
			 Requests shall identify the particular records sought by name or other personal
			 identifier and shall include a description in order to facilitate the location
			 of the record. A person shall not be required to give a reason for requesting
			 an open record. If a search fee is applicable, IPERS will contact the
			 requesting party with an estimate prior to collecting the data.
(4)
Response to requests.
The custodian is authorized to grant or deny access to agency records according
			 to the provisions of this chapter. The decision to grant or deny access may be
			 delegated to one or more designated employees.
Access to an open record shall be provided promptly upon
				request, unless the size or nature of the request makes prompt access
				impractical. However, access to an open record may be delayed for one of the
				purposes authorized by Iowa Code section
				22.8(4)
				 or
				22.10(4).
				The custodian shall inform the requester of the reason for the delay and an
				estimate of the length of that delay and, upon request, shall provide a written
				reply.
The custodian may deny access to the record or information in
				the record by members of the public only on the grounds that a denial is
				warranted under Iowa Code section
				22.8(4)
				 or
				22.10(4),
				or that it is a confidential record or information, or that its disclosure is
				prohibited by a court order. Access by members of the public to a confidential
				record or information is limited by law and, therefore, may generally be
				provided only in accordance with the provisions of rule
				495-17.4 (97B) and other
				applicable provisions of law.
(5)
Security of record.
Individuals will not be given access to the area where the records are kept.
			 All examination and copying of records shall be done under supervision. Records
			 shall be protected from damage and disorganization.
(6)
Copying.
A reasonable
			 number of copies may be made at IPERS. If the number of copies is prohibitive
			 or the copying equipment is not available, IPERS may arrange to have copies
			 made elsewhere subject to costs.
(7)
Fees.
a.
When charged.
The agency
			 is authorized to charge fees in connection with the retrieval, restoration,
			 supervision, compiling and copying of records in accordance with Iowa Code
			 section
			 22.3. To the
			 extent permitted by applicable provisions of law, the payment of fees may be
			 waived when the imposition of fees is inequitable or when a waiver is in the
			 public interest.
b.
Copying
			 and postage costs.
Price schedules for published records and for
			 copies of records supplied by the agency shall be posted in the agency. Copies
			 of records may be made by or for members of the public at cost, as determined
			 by and posted in the agency. When the mailing of copies of records is
			 requested, the actual costs of mailing may also be charged to the
			 requester.
c.
Search and
			 supervisory fee.
A fee may be charged for actual expenses in
			 retrieval, restoration, compiling and supervising the examination and copying
			 of requested records. The fee shall be based on the hourly rate of pay of an
			 agency employee who ordinarily would be appropriate and suitable to perform
			 this function and shall be posted in the agency. No fee shall be charged if the
			 records are not made available for inspection. The requester shall be given
			 advance notice of the hourly rate that will be charged in connection with the
			 retrieval, restoration, supervision, compilation and copying of
			 records.
d.
Computer-stored
			 information.
A fee, as described in the paragraph above, may be
			 charged for the actual expenses related to the retrieval, restoration and
			 copying of information stored in electronic records. IPERS shall not create
			 custom software to elicit information that is not readily available or
			 accessible on the electronic systems as a normal business function.
e.
Advance payments.
When a
			 requester has previously failed to pay an applicable search fee, full advance
			 payment of future estimated fees of any amount may be required before
			 processing a new or pending request for access to records from that
			 requester.