HHS System of Records Notices (SORNs)

As required by The Privacy Act, HHS publishes SORNs to provide public notice of the records it maintains about individuals which are retrieved by personal identifier. Each SORN describes:

  • The types of information contained in the records.
  • The legal authority for collecting and maintaining the records.
  • How the records are used within HHS.
  • The purposes (referred to as "routine uses") for which HHS may disclose the records to non-HHS parties without the individual record subject's consent.

SORNs also indicate whether any records are exempt from certain Privacy Act requirements. Only certain types of records, described in subsections (j) and (k) of the Privacy Act, can be exempted. Exemptions require a rulemaking and are not effective until published in a Final Rule.

For more information about systems of records and exemptions, see OMB Circular A-108 (Dec. 2016).

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