495—17.3(17A,22) Requests for access to records.
	17.3(1) Location of record. A request for access to a record under the jurisdiction of the agency shall be directed to the CEO or designee, Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS), 7401 Register Drive, P.O. Box 9117, Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9117.
	17.3(2) Office hours. Records shall be made available during all customary office hours which are from 8 a.m.	to 4:30 p.m., excluding officially designated holidays.
	17.3(3) Request for access. Requests for access to open records may be made in writing, by telephone, electronically or in person. IPERS may request the name, address, telephone number, and the email address (if available) of the person requesting the information to ensure timely delivery of the documentation, search fee, or both, if applicable. All requests for information regarding member accounts must contain the member’s identification number or social security number. Requests shall identify the particular records sought by name or other personal identifier and shall include a description in order to facilitate the location of the record. A person shall not be required to give a reason for requesting an open record. If a search fee is applicable, IPERS will contact the requesting party with an estimate prior to collecting the data.
	17.3(4) Response to requests. The custodian is authorized to grant or deny access to agency records according to the provisions of this chapter. The decision to grant or deny access may be delegated to one or more designated employees.
Access to an open record shall be provided promptly upon request, unless the size or nature of the request makes prompt access impractical. However, access to an open record may be delayed for one of the purposes authorized by Iowa Code section 22.8(4) or 22.10(4). The custodian shall inform the requester of the reason for the delay and an estimate of the length of that delay and, upon request, shall provide a written reply.
The custodian may deny access to the record or information in the record by members of the public only on the grounds that a denial is warranted under Iowa Code section 22.8(4) or 22.10(4), or that it is a confidential record or information, or that its disclosure is prohibited by a court order. Access by members of the public to a confidential record or information is limited by law and, therefore, may generally be provided only in accordance with the provisions of rule 495—17.4(97B) and other applicable provisions of law.
	17.3(5) Security of record. Individuals will not be given access to the area where the records are kept. All examination and copying of records shall be done under supervision. Records shall be protected from damage and disorganization.
	17.3(6) Copying. A reasonable number of copies may be made at IPERS. If the number of copies is prohibitive or the copying equipment is not available, IPERS may arrange to have copies made elsewhere subject to costs.
	17.3(7) Fees.
	a. 	When charged. The agency is authorized to charge fees in connection with the retrieval, restoration, supervision, compiling and copying of records in accordance with Iowa Code section 22.3. To the extent permitted by applicable provisions of law, the payment of fees may be waived when the imposition of fees is inequitable or when a waiver is in the public interest.
	b. 	Copying and postage costs. Price schedules for published records and for copies of records supplied by the agency shall be posted in the agency. Copies of records may be made by or for members of the public at cost, as determined by and posted in the agency. When the mailing of copies of records is requested, the actual costs of mailing may also be charged to the requester.
	c. 	Search and supervisory fee. A fee may be charged for actual expenses in retrieval, restoration, compiling and supervising the examination and copying of requested records. The fee shall be based on the hourly rate of pay of an agency employee who ordinarily would be appropriate and suitable to perform this function and shall be posted in the agency. No fee shall be charged if the records are not made available for inspection. The requester shall be given advance notice of the hourly rate that will be charged in connection with the retrieval, restoration, supervision, compilation and copying of records.
	d. 	Computer-stored information. A fee, as described in the paragraph above, may be charged for the actual expenses related to the retrieval, restoration and copying of information stored in electronic records. IPERS shall not create custom software to elicit information that is not readily available or accessible on the electronic systems as a normal business function.
	e. 	Advance payments. When a requester has previously failed to pay an applicable search fee, full advance payment of future estimated fees of any amount may be required before processing a new or pending request for access to records from that requester.
[ARC 5489C, IAB 3/10/21, effective 4/14/21]