U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
2024-001 - Eligibility
Moving to Work Demonstration Program – Assistance Listing No. 14.881
Recommendation: We recommend that management implement controls over in-house and external housing specialists to ensure all documents are obtained by tenants and maintained in the files.
Explanation of disagreement with audit finding: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.
Action taken in response to finding: As it relates to the 2024-001 Eligibility finding, Atlanta Housing (AH) reached out to the Corbin family in one last attempt to gather the required information to address the participant’s file. The family has until Close of Business on Monday, November 4, 2024 to resolve the issues identified in the file. Failure to provide the required documents by the date noted will result in AH beginning the pro-termination process for failure to provide the required documentation to complete the recertification. Additionally, if the family does not comply, AH will correct the recertification, remove the educational exclusion, reinstate the income from the excluded income, and repay the Housing Assistance Payment via a Tenant Payment Agreement with the family.
Name(s) of the contact person(s) responsible for corrective action:
(1) Tracy D. Jones, Senior Vice President, Housing Choice Voucher Program
Recommended correction:
Ensure that management implement controls over in-house and external housing specialists to ensure all documents are obtained by participants.
Corrective Actions:
AH has a comprehensive six-week onboarding training program for all new hires that provides an overview of Housing Choice's end-to-end eligibility process for program participants. This training includes collecting, reviewing, and processing documentation necessary to complete the required certification for all programs.
• Additionally, AH has a Quality Assurance program in place, which ensures that 100% of all new applicants' files are reviewed, along with 50% of all annual and interim recertifications.
• AH employs a Quality Control Management System to track all corrections and manage the closure of those corrections effectively.
• Furthermore, AH has utilized data from the Quality Control Management System to develop refresher training for current staff.
Preventive Actions:
• The Quality Assurance Manager will use the HCVP Operational procedures to conduct random reviews of previously audited and/or corrected files to ensure consistency and accuracy.
• Key responsibilities include:
➢ Ensuring that the required checklist is utilized for each processed file.
➢ Reviewing the files of newly onboarded hires at a higher percentage than those of current staff.
➢ Providing a report on any abnormalities and documenting files of staff members who may require additional attention and one-on-one training.
*Note: The issue for the file in question was addressed during the Audit and resolved November 4, 2024.