1. (1) “Governmental entity” means the State of Tennessee, or any county, municipality, city, or other political subdivision of the State of Tennessee.
2. (2) “Office of Open Records Counsel” or “OORC” means the office established pursuant to T.C.A. §§ 8-4-601 et seq., or any successor office or entity.
3. (3) “Public record” means any record of the Department that is required to be open to inspection under the provisions of the Tennessee Public Records Act, Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 10-7-501 et seq.
4. (4) “Public Records Request Coordinator” or “PRRC” means the individual, or individuals, designated in Rule 1735-01-01-.05 who has, or have, the responsibility to ensure public record requests are routed to the appropriate records custodian and are fulfilled in accordance with the Tennessee Public Records Act. The Public Records Request Coordinator may also be a records custodian.
5. (5) “Records custodian” means the office, official, or employee lawfully responsible for the direct custody and care of a public record. The records custodian is not necessarily the original preparer or receiver of the record.
6. (6) “Requestor” means the individual seeking access to a public record, whether it is for inspection or duplication.
7. (7) “TDVS” or the “Department” means the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services.
8. (8) “TPRA” means the Tennessee Public Records Act, found in Title 10, Chapter 7 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-4-103; 4-5-201, et seq.;10-7-503; and 46-6-106. Administrative History: New rules filed June 25, 2025; effective September 23, 2025.