Information Quality

In compliance with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Quality of Information Guidelines, this page provides information pertaining to requests for correction of information disseminated by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR). Requestors seeking a correction should follow the procedure described by the USDA's Quality of Information Guidelines. (Select "Correction Procedures.")

The USDA Quality of Information Guidelines correction mechanisms are not intended to imply any rights of individuals to request amendment of their own records beyond those permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974, or other organization-specific laws.

Where to Submit a Formal Request for Correction
All requests for correction of information must be submitted by letter, fax or e-mail to:

USDA/1890 Programs
Carl Butler, Director
Room 3038 South Building Stop Code 9478
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
E-MAIL: Carl.Butler@usda.gov
PHONE: (202) 205-2693
FAX: (202) 205-2641

USDA Office of Adjudication and Compliance
Michael Watts, Director
Room 541 Reporter's Building, Stop Code 9410
300 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
E-MAIL: Michael.Watts@usda.gov
PHONE: (202) 720-5212
FAX: (202) 720-0953

Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center
Sheila Walcott, Acting Director
Room 4029 South Building, Stop Code 9407
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
E-MAIL: Sheila.Walcott@usda.gov
PHONE: (202) 720-4040
FAX: (202) 720-8848

Office of Outreach Gladys Vaughn, Director
Room 4039 South Building, Stop Code 9473
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
E-MAIL: Gladys.Vaughn@usda.gov
PHONE: (202) 205-5116
FAX: (202) 720-2263

Office of Outreach and Diversity
Carl-Martin Ruiz, Director
Room 4039 South Building, Stop Code 9473
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
E-MAIL: Carl-Martin.ruiz@usda.gov
PHONE: (202) 720-6350
FAX: (202) 720-7489

Information That Should Be Submitted to the Quality of Information Officer with a Request for Correction Requests for correction of Information should include the following elements:

• Statement that the Request for Correction of Information is Submitted Under USDA's Information Quality Guidelines



• Requestor Contact Information
  The name, mailing address, telephone number, fax number (if any), Email address (if any), and organizational affiliation (if any) of the Person requesting the correction.



• Description of Information to Correct
  The name of the publication, report, or data product; the date of issuance or other identifying information such as the URL of the Web page; and a detailed description that clearly identifies the specific information contained in that publication, report, or data product for which a correction is being sought.



• Explanation of Noncompliance with OMB and/or USDA Information Quality Guidelines
  An explanation that describes how the information fails to meet either the OMB or USDA Information Quality Guidelines.



• Explanation of the Effect of the Alleged Error
  An explanation that describes the requestor's use of the information in question and how the requestor is affected by the alleged error.



• Recommendation and Justification for How the Information Should Be Corrected
  The requestor should state specifically how the information should be corrected and explain why the corrections should be made. A request for correction that is specific and provides evidence to support the need for correction is likely to be more persuasive than a request that is general, unfocused, or that simply indicates disagreement with the information in question.

This guidance for the content of requests for correction of information is not intended to constitute a set of legally binding requirements Requestors bear the "burden of proof" with respect to the necessity for correction as well as with respect to the type of correction they seek. However, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights may be unable to process, in a timely fashion or at all, requests that omit one or more of the requested elements. Decision will be based on the merits of the information provided by the requestor.

Public Disclosure Of Requests For Correction Of Information Disseminated By the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights And Requests For Reconsideration Of such Decisions.

Requests For Correction Received By the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
No Requests for Correction have been received from October 2002 through the present.

Requests For Reconsideration of ASCR Decisions
No Requests for Reconsideration have been received from October 2002 through the present.

Privacy Act Statement
USDA is authorized to obtain certain information under Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law No. 106-554, codified at 44 U.S.C. 3516, note). Information is needed by USDA to process the request for correction and allow USDA to reply accordingly. This information is needed by USDA to respond to the requestor and initiate follow-up contact with the requestor if required. Requestors should not send USDA their Social Security Number. Requestors are advised that they do not have to furnish the information but failure to do so may prevent their request from being processed. The information requestors furnish is almost never used for any purpose other than to process and respond to their request. However, USDA may disclose information to a Congressional office in response to an inquiry made on behalf of the requestor, to the Department of Justice, a court, other tribunal when the information is relevant and necessary to litigation, or to a contractor or another Federal agency to help accomplish a function related to this process. We are continually seeking to improve our Quality of Information Guidelines. Please submit comments and suggestions about these guidelines to: Michael.Watts@usda.gov. For comments regarding the site itself: ascrwebmaster@usda.gov

Peer Review
Based on the review it has conducted, at this time the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights has no agenda of forthcoming highly influential scientific assessments to post on its website in accordance with OMB's Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.

For information about other USDA agencies that do engage in influential scientific work and are subject to the OMB Peer Review requirements, please visit USDA's Scientific Research Guidelines website.

Last Modified: 08/18/2009