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ORA FIELD MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE No. 50

Subject:
State Correspondence		 Area:
State Program Management		 Date:
10/4/87 Revised

PURPOSE

To assure prompt handling and adequate control of the correspondence from State and local officials, and to provide a more concise method for assessing the informational needs of State and local agencies.

BACKGROUND

State and local officials have been encouraged to direct their inquiries to the Regions or Districts in whose territories they are located. This procedure should be promoted whenever possible, since this Regional and District system of response is important in improving the general communication between our field installations and the officials with whom they work from day to day. This is particularly important when MOUs, contracts and other work sharing arrangements in identical programs may cause the same questions to arise at both State and Federal levels.

PROCEDURES

The following procedures will govern the handling of all correspondence from State and local officials:

1. Inquiries from State and local officials which are directed to Regions or Districts should be recorded in the usual correspondence recording procedure, promptly assigned to the appropriate action component and responded to as expeditiously as possible. A copy of the reply should be forwarded to the Division of Federal-State Relations. This is important for several reasons. First, it enables DFSR to assess State and local informational needs and issue general communications to State and local officials. These general communications conserve both field and headquarters correspondence time by providing our counter-parts with timely information on matters that would otherwise provoke inquiries to both field and headquarters. It also serves to provide DFSR with information needed in discussions with State and local officials at meetings and during other contacts. This knowledge is also important in DFSR's program construction and planning processes.

2. In the event that the inquiry cannot be answered at the field installation, it should be acknowledged and promptly referred to the State Services Branch, Division of Federal State Relations (HFC-151). It will then be entered into the DFSR correspondence accounting system, and DFSR will be in a position to make any follow-up that may be required to assure a prompt and complete response. Copies of all DFSR responses will be sent to the appropriate field installation.

3. State and local requests for manuals should be referred to DFSR, since all recipients of manuals must be added to the DFSR mailing keys through which the manuals are kept up to date. This also applies to all requests for changes, or additions, on all DFSR mailing and EMS keys.

4. Requests for other material, such as copies of the various Acts we enforce, requests for informational material, and requests for specific methodology should be handled at the field level. If the requested material is not on hand at the field installation, and the State or local need is urgent, the request may be referred to DFSR by telephone or EMS. If the need is not urgent, an order should be placed with the headquarters supplying component to meet the request, and to secure a stock for any additional requests that can be anticipated.

5. There will continue to be instances where the circumstances of a request by a State or local official are such that direct conversation with a member of a Center, or other headquarters office is either the most practical or the most expeditious way of obtaining a response. This directive is not to be construed as a measure to either prohibit or limit this practice. However, DFSR should receive a brief resume of the response in the form of a memorandum of telephone conversation, or in some other convenient format, where the response is of sufficient substance to warrant it.

DISTRIBUTION:           Regional Food and Drug Directors and District Directors; FDA Headquarters Offices

ISSUED BY:                 ORA/ORO/Division of Federal-State Relations (HFC-150)

AUTHORITY:                 ORA

PUBLICATION DATE:  8/96

This page was last updated on: 05/21/99.