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    Public Record

    Right-To-Know Law

    The Pennsylvania Right-To-Know Law (RTKL) is designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of governmental bodies in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (Department) supports a citizen's right to know how the Department conducts business on their behalf. 

    Agency Open Records Officer

    The Department has designated Kevin Atkinson as its Agency Open Records Officer (AORO) to respond to RTKL requests.

    Contact Information:

    Kevin Atkinson, Agency Open Records Officer
    Pennsylvania Department of Aging
    555 Walnut Street, 5th Floor
    Harrisburg, PA 17101
    Fax: 717-783-6842
    Phone: 717-783-1550
    Email: airtk@pa.gov
    Online: RTKL Digial Form

      Submitting a RTKL Request

      A RTKL request may be submitted in person, by email, or U.S. mail, however, the RTKL request must be written on the Office of Open Records Statewide Request Form.

      Office of Open Records Statewide Request Form Required:

      Under the Right to Know Law (RTKL), a requestor must submit a written request to the Agency Open Records Officer (AORO) to obtain public documents from the agency.  Requestors are required to use the Office of Open Records Statewide Request Form or may submit their request using the digital online form.  You can access the digital form through the link provided. When using the online form, be sure to select “Pennsylvania Department of Aging” from the agency dropdown menu. 

      Right to Know Law Request Requirements

      • Be addressed to the Department Open Records Officer
      • Identify a name and address to which the Department should address its response
      • Indicate that the request is being made pursuant to the RTKL
      • Be sufficiently specific to enable the Department to ascertain which records are being requested
      • Be from a person who is a legal resident of the United States; 
      • Be on the Office of Open Records Statewide Request Form

      Agency Response

      Time for response

      The Department has 5 business days to respond to a RTKL request for records.  If the Department does not respond within this timeframe, the request is considered “deemed denied”, and the requestor’s appeal rights begin. The Department may take an additional 30 calendar days to respond to any request, provided it notifies the requestor in writing about the extension and the reason for it.

      For purposes of determining the end of the five business day period, the day that a RTKL request is received is not counted. The first day of the five business day period is the Department's next business day.

      The regular business hours of the RTKL Office are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Any RTKL request received by the RTKL Office after the close of regular business hours shall be deemed to have been received by that office on the following business day.

      Final response

      The Department will issue a final written response, which may include granting the request, partially denying it, or denying it in its entirety. The Department must also provide a reason if the request cannot be fulfilled.  If the Department fails to issue a response within the applicable time period, the request is deemed denied.

      • Granting access to records. The Department may grant a request for records by issuing a response:
        1. sending copies of the records to the requester; or
        2. by notifying the requester that the records are available on the Department's website or other publicly accessible electronic means
      • Denying or partially denying access to records. To the extent the Department denies a request for records, through redaction or otherwise, or cannot fulfill the request, the Department will respond in writing. The response will describe the requested records, inform the requester that the Department does not possess the responsive records or, if the records are exempt from public access, provide a citation to the relevant legal basis for withholding the requested records. The response will set forth the procedure to appeal the denial.

      Fees

      The Department will charge fees consistent with the RTKL Fee Structure.

      Right-To-Know Law Appeals

      To challenge the denial, partial denial, or deemed denial of a request for Department records, an appeal may be filed to the Office of Open Records (OOR) using the following methods:

      1. Online using the OOR Appeal Form
      2. By e-mail at: openrecords@pa.gov
      3. In writing to the OOR at:
        The Office of Open Records
        Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
        333 Market St., 16th Floor
        Harrisburg, PA 17101-2234

      Requirements of an appeal

      All appeals must be filed within 15 business days of the mailing date of the Department's response.

      All appeals must be in writing; must state the grounds upon which the requester asserts that the requested records are public records; must address any grounds stated by the Department for denying the request; and must include a copy of the request and the Department's response, if any.

      Additional Information

      For additional information on this law, the request process, and the appeal process, please visit the Office of Open Records.