Finding 616280 (2022-003)

Material Weakness
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-09-26

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The Authority's internal controls failed to ensure proper verification of tenant income and assets, leading to noncompliance with federal requirements.
  • Impacted Requirements: Verification processes for income and assets, as outlined in 24 CFR 985.516, were not consistently followed, affecting the accuracy of tenant assistance calculations.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The Authority should review and strengthen its internal control policies and procedures to prevent future noncompliance.

Finding Text

2022 ? 003: Income and Asset Verification Federal agency: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal program title: Housing Choice Voucher Cluster Assistance Listing Number: 14.871, 14.879 Award period: January 1, 2022 ? December 31, 2022 Type of Finding: ? Internal Control, Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance ? Material Noncompliance Criteria or specific requirement: Income reported on the tenant assistance application was verified by the housing specialist by obtaining 3rd party verification of annual income. (3rd party verification includes direct confirmation from an employer, at least 4 paystubs, EIV report (required for 10/09 and later), SS award letter, printouts from Dept of Social Services for TANF, child support, etc.) (24 CFR 985.516). Assets reported on the tenant assistance application were verified by the leasing specialist by obtaining 3rd party verification of assets. If the tenant listed bank accounts, the PHA must obtain account balances from the bank or copies of bank statements. If the tenant receives SS income or wages, look at these forms to see if there is any indication of direct deposit. If so, the PHA should have gotten bank statements). (24 CFR 985.516). HAP/TAP was properly calculated using all verified information from above and was inputted into the HUD 50058 calculation. If the income reported is not correct per #2 above or there was no 3rd party verification of assets, this is incorrect as well. Condition: The Authority's system of internal controls included in the policies and procedures failed to identify the noncompliance as described in the criteria section of this finding. Questioned Costs: Known - Unknow Likely - Undeterminable Context: From a sample of sixty (60) program participant files selected for testing, four (4) tenant files did not contain an updated EIV form as a part of the annual re-examination and five (5) tenant files did not contain third party verification of assets. The sample size was based on guidance from chapter 11 of the AICPA Audit Guide, Government Auditing Standards and Single Audits. Cause: The Authority's system of internal controls included in the policies and procedures failed to identify the noncompliance as described in the condition section of this finding. Effect: The failure of the internal controls has resulted in noncompliance with the requirements of the 24 CFR sections 985.516. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that the Authority review its system of internal control related to the policies and procedures in place to mitigate the risk of noncompliance with the requirements of the stated criteria. Views of responsible officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.

Categories

HUD Housing Programs Material Weakness Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 39832 2022-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 39833 2022-003
    Material Weakness
  • 39834 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 39835 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 39836 2022-006
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 39837 2022-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 39838 2022-003
    Material Weakness
  • 39839 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 39840 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 39841 2022-006
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 616274 2022-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 616275 2022-003
    Material Weakness
  • 616276 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 616277 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 616278 2022-006
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 616279 2022-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 616281 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 616282 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 616283 2022-006
    Significant Deficiency Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
14.871 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers $9.23M
14.182 Section 8 New Construction and Substantial Rehabilitation $108,398
14.896 Family Self-Sufficiency Program $66,808
14.879 Mainstream Vouchers $30,778