(a) General rule. All records of the Joint Board, including information set forth in section 552(a)(2) of title 5 of the United States Code, are made available to any person, upon request, for inspection and copying in accordance with the provisions of this section and subject to the limitations stated in section 552(b) of title 5 of the United States Code. Records falling within such limitations may nevertheless be made available in accordance with this section to the extent consistent, in the judgment of the Chairman of the Joint Board (“Chairman”), with the effective performance of the Joint Board's statutory responsibilities and with the avoidance of injury to a public or private interest intended to be protected by such limitations.

(b) Obtaining access to records. Records of the Joint Board subject to this section are available by appointment for public inspection or copying during regular business hours on regular business days at the office of the Executive Director. Every request for access to such records, other than published records described in § 902.3, shall be signed and submitted in writing to the Executive Director, Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries, c/o Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20220, shall state the name and address of the person requesting such access, and shall describe such records in a manner reasonably sufficient to permit their identification without undue difficulty.

(c) Fees. A fee at the rate of $5.00 per hour or fraction thereof or the time required to locate such records, plus ten cents per standard page for any copying thereof, shall be paid by any person requesting records other than published records described in § 902.3. In addition, the cost of postage and any packaging and special handling shall be paid by the requester. Documents shall be provided without charge or at a reduced charge where the Chairman determines that waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest because furnishing the information can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public.

(d) Actions on requests. The Executive Director shall, within ten days (excepting Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays) from receipt of request, determine whether to comply with such request for records and shall immediately notify in writing the person making such request of such determination and the reason therefor, and of the right of such person to appeal any adverse determination, as provided in § 902.5. In unusual circumstances, the time limit for the determination may be extended by written notice to the person making such request setting forth the reasons for such extension and the date on which the determination is expected to be dispatched. No such notice shall specify a date that will result in an extension of more than ten working days.