PaFOIC

Denied: Records of social services provided to requester

Denied: Request for records of services provided to the requester by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The Department of Labor & Industry had denied the records citing the exemption of the Right to Know Law which protects information about a recipient of social services.
From the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition

Denied:
Request for records of services provided to the requester by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The Department of Labor & Industry had denied the records citing the exemption of the Right to Know Law which protects information about a recipient of social services.

The Office of Open Records ruled that the department properly denied the request, as the Right to Know Law is not the proper method for acquiring access to personal records:

" ... the RTKL is a vehicle for obtaining public records only and does not distinguish between those who are the subject of records and those requesting them," the OOR wrote.

The ruling noted that the Department of Labor & Industry took the extra step of telling the requester how to access the records he sought.

Hawkins vs. Department of Labor & Industry -- AP 2009-0139