[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 20, Volume 2]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 20CFR402.45]

[Page 28]
 
                      TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
 
               CHAPTER III--SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
 
PART 402_AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION AND RECORDS TO THE PUBLIC--Table 
of Contents
 
Sec. 402.45  Availability of records.

    (a) What records are available. 5 U.S.C. 552, also known as the 
FOIA, permits any person to see, and get a copy of, any Federal agency's 
records unless the material is exempt from mandatory disclosure as 
described in Sec. 402.70 of this part.
    (b) FOIA. Under the FOIA, we are also required to make available to 
the public the instructional manuals issued to our employees, general 
statements of policy, and other materials which are used in processing 
claims and which are not published in the Federal Register, and an index 
of these manuals and materials.
    (c) Record citation as precedent. We will not use or cite any record 
described in paragraph (b) of this section as a precedent for an action 
against a person unless we have indexed the record and published it or 
made it available, or unless the person has timely notice of the record.
    (d) Electronic Reading Room. We will prepare an index of records 
which have become or are likely to become the subject of subsequent 
requests. The index, and, to the extent practicable, the records will be 
made available on the Internet or by other computer telecommunications 
means.

[62 FR 4154, Jan. 29, 1997, as amended at 63 FR 35132, June 29, 1998]