(a) FCA may charge:

(1) For manual searches for records and for review, the pro rated cost of the salary of the employee doing the work.

(2) For computer searches for records, the direct costs of computer search time and supply or material costs.

(3) For each page made by photocopy or similar method, fifteen cents a page, and for other forms of copying, the direct costs.

(4) The direct costs of elective services, such as certifying records as true copies or sending records by special methods.

(b) We will not charge fees when total assessed fees are less than $15.00.

(c) You must pay by personal check, bank draft drawn on a United States bank, or postal money order made payable to the Treasury of the United States.

(d) We treat a request about yourself under Privacy Act fee rules.

(e) The information in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section is presented in the table to this paragraph. Direct costs means the costs FCA incurs in searching for, reviewing, and reproducing documents to respond to a request. Direct costs include pro rated salary and reproduction costs. We will not charge fees when they total less than $15.00.

(f) We will not assess fees if we fail to comply with any time limit under the FOIA or these regulations, and have not timely notified the requester, in writing, that an unusual circumstance exists. If an unusual circumstance exists, and timely, written notice is given to the requester, we may be excused an additional 10 working days before fees are automatically waived under this paragraph.

(g) If we determine that unusual circumstances apply and more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to a request, we may charge fees if we provided a timely, written notice to the requester and discussed with the requester via mail, Email, or telephone (or made at least three good-faith attempts to do so) how the requester could effectively limit the scope of the request.

(h) If a court has determined that exceptional circumstances exist, a failure to comply with time limits imposed by these regulations or FOIA shall be excused for the length of time provided by court order.