YES, non-Americans can make FOIA requests for files from the VA, or other US federal agencies.
In our FOIA leaderboard for our BIRLS website (yup, we built one), we have Canadians, Brits, a Frenchman, and an Aussie in our Top Fifty Filers.
And it's all free. No tariffs here. 🥰
About an hour ago, a genealogist filed the TEN THOUSANDTH FOIA REQUEST* to the VA made through our new BIRLS website. 🥳
Not bad for our first forty days online. 😎
Have you filed any FOIAs yet? We made it easy to do from your web browser, and FREE!
https://www.BIRLS.org/
A genealogist/researcher (who asked to remain anonymous) submitted a FOIA request through our new BIRLS website on December 26th.
Today, 37 days later, he let us know that he received his relative's C-File (benefits claims file) from the VA.
And oh my goodness, what a file. 😳
...uhhhh, does this include the multiple types of grants that NARA's National Historical Publications and Records Commission gives out annually to local and state archives and to community groups and non-profits, to catalog and digitize our history?
DC Circuit out with a tremendous #FOIA decision this morning, clarifying that court-ordered clawback of agency records is not permissible. I delve into it here: .
Our new http://BIRLS.org site, which lets researchers search millions of records of deceased US veterans, has now been online (and out of beta) for a month.
And so far, in this first month, we've enabled over 3400 researchers to file over 9100 FOIA requests.
As always #Grateful for @ReclaimTheRecs - Thank you for your efforts! #GenealogyNewsFlash
We got a big new data file with millions more names in it today, none of which has ever been available to the public before anywhere on any website. And it's all gonna be free. 😎
Details to come in time, as always, but we just wanted to mention it. Happy #FOIAFriday everyone!
So, we've just passed 25,000 names from the 1821 Census of Ireland available in the Virtual Treasury. Freely available to researchers, 24/7, anywhere in the 🌍. Nice... 😀
These are the sort of callous denials that police departments will issue--can you imagine telling these parents no? And there's no legal basis to withhold it either...even if it were exempt under OPRA (it's not), the common law right to it is undeniable
