Right To Know Act

Right to Know Act

Requests for public records from CMP MH/DS under the Right-to-Know Law, as amended, 65 P.S. §§ 67.101 et seq, are subject to the following guidelines:

Requests

Requests for information under the Right-to-Know Law must be submitted in writing to:
Tina L. Clymer, MS, LPC
Open Records Officer
Carbon-Monroe-Pike MH/DS
724 Phillips Street, Suite 202
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Fax:  570-421-8295
Email: tclymer@cmpmhds.org

A request may be delivered in person, by mail, by electronic mail, or by facsimile. Verbal or oral requests will not be accepted. Each request must include the name of the requestor and the address to which the response will be delivered. The request should identify or describe the records sought with sufficient specificity to enable the agency to ascertain which records are being requested.

The Open Records Officer may ask the requestor the reason for the request or the intended use of the records in order to help identify the records of actual relevance to the requester. The agency cannot insist that such a statement be provided, nor can it use the lack of such a statement as a reason for denying the request.
 
Upon receipt of a written request, CMP MH/DS will make a good faith effort to determine if the requested record is a public record and to respond as promptly as possible under the circumstances existing at the time of the request. This time shall not exceed five (5) business days from the date the written request is received by the Open Records Officer. If the agency fails to respond within that time period, the request is deemed denied.

The agency may inform the requestor of the need for additional time to comply with a specific request, in accordance with provisions of the Act. Such an extension may not exceed thirty (30) calendar days unless agreed to by the requestor. If the agency fails to make a timely final response pursuant to the extension the request is deemed denied. The Open Records Officer shall send written notice to the requestor within five (5) business days of the need for an extension. The notice shall include a statement notifying the requestor that the request for access is being reviewed, the reason for the review, a reasonable date that a response is expected to be provided, and an estimate of applicable fees owed when the record become available.
 
Appeals

Right to file an appeal – An appeal to a denial must be filed with the Office of Open Records within 15 business days of the mailing date of the written denial.

Office of Open Records
Commonwealth Keystone Building
400 North Street, 4th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225
Fax: (717) 425-5343
Email: openrecords@pa.gov
Website: http://www.openrecords.pa.gov/Pages/default.asp#.VkoHP7Eo6os
 
Fees and charges

All fees charged will be in accordance with the fee structure established by the Office of Open Records. http://openrecords.state.pa.us

Additional information on the Right To Know Act may be requested from the Human Resources Department.