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Know Your Rights
How to Request Your Own Records
A step-by-step approach to asking an agency, school, provider, or employer for the file they keep on you.
6 min read
Why records matter
Most decisions are made from a file. If you have not read your file, you are responding to a decision without seeing the reasoning behind it.
Write a clear, narrow request
Identify yourself, state the records you want, give a date range, and ask for the response in writing. Narrow requests are answered faster than broad ones.
Keep a copy of your request and note the date it was sent. Ask what the expected response time is and write that down too.
If the request is denied
Ask for the denial in writing and for the specific reason. A written denial is what makes an appeal possible.