Social Security Administration (SSA)

SSA’s FOIA Program Under the FOIA, you may request and obtain access to Federal agency records, unless the records are exempted from disclosure or excluded from the FOIA’s coverage.  The Office of the General Counsel, Office of Privacy and Disclosure (OPD) directs SSA’s FOIA activities.  OPD works with SSA offices nationwide to process and respond to FOIA requests.  We generally process requests on a “first in, first out” basis; however, requests that are voluminous or complex, for example, will take longer to process.  Requesting Information Deceased Individual’s Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5) and Computer Extract of the SS-5 (Numident) :  Submit requests for a deceased individual’s SS-5 and Numident online via FOIAXpress .  Creating an account with FOIAXpress will allow you to check the status of your FOIA request, as well as receive the requested information electronically.  At this time, please do not submit these types of requests via the FOIA.gov submission form. Your Own Records and Records of another Living Individual:  To request your own records/information, as well as to request information about another living individual, please visit your local office.  When requesting another living individual’s record, you will need to provide  written consent  for us to disclose the record to you.  To find your local office, please use our  field office locator .    For all other requests : you can submit your request via FOIA.gov, FOIAXpress , mail, or fax using the contact information below.  FOIA.gov is the preferred method through which you can submit a FOIA request for SSA records other than the SS-5 and Numident.  Questions For more information about FOIA at SSA, please visit our FOIA website at  ssa.gov/foia .  Our FOIA homepage provides a detailed guide to FOIA at SSA.  It also includes information about fees.