Preservation asks how information will be kept from being lost or changed. Access asks whether and how someone may obtain it. Keep those questions separate. A request to preserve records does not authorize entry into a system or copying of confidential material.
Start with the source#
Identify the source system, custodian, period, and record type as precisely as the available information permits. Distinguish native files from screenshots, exports, printouts, and summaries. Preserve a record of how a lawful copy was obtained and any later transformation applied to it.
Working table#
Print this page or reproduce the blank table in a private document. Use “unknown” where the record does not answer a question. The dashes are intentional blank fields, not findings.
| Record/system ID | Custodian and relevant period | Existing format/source | Preservation request/status | Authorized access route/status | Known change, loss or substitute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
How to use the record#
Keep an unchanged source copy and make annotations in a separate working copy. Record conversions, redactions, filenames, and version changes. Where a source cannot be obtained, describe the limitation without attempting to bypass permissions. Document possible replacement sources before concluding information is irretrievably lost.
Limits and contrary evidence#
A missing file does not automatically establish unlawful destruction. A checksum can help compare bytes but does not prove truth, authorship, completeness, or admissibility. Do not label a person a spoliator merely because a record has not been produced.
Review questions#
- Is the issue preservation, production, or both?
- What is known about routine retention and available substitute records?
- Can changes to the working copy be traced back to an unchanged source?
Related worksheets#
Chronology · Personnel, Payroll, Benefits and Signed-Document Records Request (W-033) · Custody, Medical, Medication, Referral, Grievance and Emergency Records
Private use of completed worksheets. This page is a blank organizing aid, not a place to submit records. Keep completed versions and identifying attachments private. Use only information you are authorized to possess and share. Do not post patient, personnel, witness, or privileged material.
This worksheet does not provide legal advice, calculate a deadline, determine a claim, assess clinical care, or replace professional review. It is not an emergency reporting channel.
Important legal-information notice#
KPSGILL.com is not a law firm. No one at KPSGILL.com is a lawyer, and no person associated with the website provides legal advice through these Roadmaps.
The CFMG–Wellpath Claims & Accountability Roadmaps are provided for general educational, research, public-interest, and informational purposes. They explain legal concepts, statutes, cases, procedural issues, evidence considerations, and publicly available records in general terms.
Nothing on KPSGILL.com creates an attorney-client relationship. Reading the website, using a worksheet, following a Roadmap, sending information to the website, or communicating with anyone associated with KPSGILL.com does not make that person your lawyer and does not create attorney-client privilege or confidentiality.
The Roadmaps do not determine whether any particular person has a valid legal claim, who should be sued, what claims should be brought, what defenses apply, what a case is worth, or when an individual filing deadline expires.
Laws, regulations, court decisions, procedural rules, and filing deadlines can change and can depend upon facts, jurisdiction, custody status, employment status, the identity of the parties, and other circumstances. A general limitation period or procedural rule described on this website should never be treated as a calculation of an individual's actual deadline.
Anyone considering a legal claim, responding to a lawsuit, facing a filing deadline, deciding whether to preserve or disclose records, or making another decision with legal consequences should consult a qualified licensed attorney in the appropriate jurisdiction.
Primary sources should be reviewed independently. Where a Roadmap discusses CFMG, Wellpath, counties, clinicians, employers, or other entities, the discussion should not be understood as establishing liability merely because an entity or legal theory is discussed.