Mira Belenkiy v. Department of Vital Records (SPR 20220090)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records January 19, 2022 SPR22/0090 Helen Rush-Lloyd Records Access Officer Department of Public Health 250 Washington Street Boston, MA 02108 Dear Ms. Rush-Lloyd: I have received the petition of Mira Belenkiy of Belenkiy Consultants appealing the nonresponse of the Department of Public Health (Department) Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (Registry) to a request for public records. G. L. c. 66, § 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Specifically, Ms. Belenkiy requested reports or spreadsheets containing statistical information on deaths and births for the years 2018-2021. After sending her request to email address: vital.regulation@state.ma.us, and not receiving a response, Ms. Belenkiy petitioned the Supervisor of Records, and this appeal was opened as a result. Subsequent to the intervention by an attorney in the Public Records Division, I learned that Ms. Belenkiy sent her request to the incorrect email address, and therefore neither the Department’s Records Access Officer nor personnel at the Registry saw the request. Nonetheless, after the Department was made aware of this appeal, a representative within the Department noted the Assistant Registrar at the Registry will contact Ms. Belenkiy regarding the request. Where the Registry has indicated it will provide a response to Ms. Belenkiy, I will consider this appeal closed. Said response must be made in accordance with the Public Records Law, its Access Regulations and this order within ten business days. It is preferable to send an electronic copy of this response to this office at pre@sec.state.ma.us. Sincerely, Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: Mira Belenkiy One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us