Welcome to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Public Access Link.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is found in Title 5 of the United States Code, Section 552. It was enacted in 1966 and allows any person the right to request access to federal agency records. The FOIA does not, however, provide a right of access to records held by state or local government agencies or private businesses or individuals. It also does not require the government to provide tangible items such as computer software used by an agency. However, agency information created by computer software is considered an agency record under the FOIA. In furtherance of Executive Order #13392, "Improving Agency Disclosure of Information," Paul Chalmers, Deputy General Counsel, has been appointed Chief FOIA Officer for PBGC.
This guide will familiarize you with the specific procedures for making a FOIA request to the PBGC. Following the procedures will help you obtain the information you are seeking in the shortest amount of time.
How To Submit a FOIA/Privacy Act Request Online
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is pleased to announce the acceptance of Freedom of Information Act request online through our Public Access Link (PAL). You may continue submitting your FOIA request by e-mail, fax and regular mail. Please note that there is a different process to submit Privacy Act requests, please visit our PBGC FOIA homepage to review the information regarding submitting a privacy act request.
Register to create an online profile or to log in to your existing profile click Sign In or use the links provided in the upper corner of this page. Before submitting your request online, please visit PBGC’s FOIA Page and review the section on “How to Make a Request.”
To Check the Status of a FOIA/Privacy Act Request
If you are a registered requester with this online submission site you can Sign In to view the status of your request(s), send a message to the FOIA Office, or download responsive records once they are delivered.
If you are not a registered requester you can still check the status of your request by clicking on Check Request Status in the toolbar. Be prepared to enter the tracking number provided by the FOIA Office to retrieve the status of your request.
If you have already created an account, do not create another one. Duplicate accounts will be deleted. If you need to update information in your account, sign into the system and click on the My Account link on the side menu. If you are not a registered requester you can check the status of your request only by clicking on Check Request Status. You will need to enter the FOIA tracking number (example: PBGC-YYYY-00000) number provided by PBGC’s Disclosure Division to retrieve the status.
FOIA Fees & Categories
Online payment services for FOIA processing fees are currently unavailable. You may submit payment for fees by mailing a check to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Attention Disclosure Officer, 445 12th Street SW Washington, D.C. 20024-2101
There is no initial fee to file a FOIA request and in many cases no fees are charged for processing. The FOIA, however, permits PBGC to recover part of the cost incurred in complying with FOIA requests. Please review the FOIA fees and categories that are applicable to requests submitted to PBGC.
PBGC FOIA Reading Rooms
Visit our agency component Reading Rooms, the records you seek may already be posted publicly. PBGC automatically makes certain types of records available for public inspection and copying in its on-site reading room, and available in its Electronic Reading Room. If you visit our reading room or have access to the Internet, you will not need to make a FOIA request to obtain access to these records. Such records include: (1) Opinion Letters, (2) PBGC Fact Sheets, (3) Strategic Plan, (4) PBGC Appeal Decisions, and (5) copies of records that have been the subject of a FOIA request and are of sufficient public interest that the agency believes other persons are likely to request them. Documents will be added on an ongoing basis as they are created or identified.