Finding Text
Eligibility Housing Voucher Cluster Material Weakness in Internal Control Material Noncompliance Condition: Out of an approximate population of 1,500 of Housing Voucher Cluster tenants we tested 11 tenants and the following deficiencies were noted: • Five files did not have an annual recertification performed with 12 months of the previous certification • Two files did not have inspection documentation during the period, • One file did not have an annual recertification performed, • One file did not have documentation to support HAP amount reported, • One file used an incorrect payment standard, • One file did not have dependency documentation for a dependent member of the household, • One file was missing documentation to support income claimed during recertification, and • One file will missing rent reasonableness documentation and approval. Criteria: The Authority’s Administrative Plan and 24 CFR 982.516 requires internal controls to be in place to ensure proper procedures are being followed in compliance with HUD requirements regarding timely, complete, and accurate tenant files. Context: The auditor randomly selected tenant files out of the population from each program as outlined, which we consider to be a statistically valid sample size. The auditor reviewed the tenant files and support to ensure that proper procedures are being followed and that the Authority is in compliance with HUD requirements regarding timely, complete, and accurate tenant files. Cause: The Authority experienced staffing and operational challenges during the onset of COVID- 19 and did not have the available staff to follow the established internal controls to ensure proper compliance with regards to timely recertifications and collection of required HUD documentation to verify eligibility and calculate accurate housing assistance payments. Effect: The Authority is not in compliance with HUD requirements regarding eligibility which could result in the incorrect amount of rental assistance provided. Questioned Costs: Unknown. Auditor Recommendations: The Authority should reevaluate their established procedures and controls in place to ensure full compliance in regards to eligibility and the timeliness of recertifications. The Authority needs to correct the deficiencies noted in the tested files and consider the impact to the rest of the population of tenant files that were not selected as part of the auditor’s sample. Management Response: See Corrective Action Plan.