Finding Text
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Program Titles: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers Program Federal Catalog Numbers: 14.871 Noncompliance ? E. Eligibility ? Tenant Files Non Compliance Material to the Financial Statements: No Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance for Eligibility Criteria: Tenant Files. The PHA must do the following: As a condition of admission or continued occupancy, require the tenant and other family member to provide necessary information, documentation, and releases for the PHA to verify income eligibility (24 CFR sections 5.230, 5.609, and 982.516). These files are required to be maintained and available for examination at the time of audit. Condition: Based upon inspection of the Authority?s files and on discussion with management, there were documents that were unavailable for examination at the time of audit. Context: There are approximately 2,723 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers units and 123 Mainstream Vouchers units. Of a sample size of forty-seven (47) tenant files, the following was noted: ? Lead based paint form was missing in 14 files ? Annual inspection report was missing in 1 file. Our sample size is statistically valid. Cause: There is a significant deficiency in internal controls over the compliance for the eligibility type of compliance related to the maintenance of tenant files. The Authority has not properly considered, designed, implemented, maintained and monitored a system of internal controls that assures the program is in compliance. Effect: The Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers Program is in non-compliance with the eligibility type of compliance related to the maintenance of tenant files. Recommendation: We recommend the Authority design and implement internal control procedures that will assure compliance with the Uniform Guidance and the compliance supplement. Authority Response: The Authority accepts the recommendations of the auditor and has issued several administrative advisories to staff in order to prevent future recurrence of similar issues. Due to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, SHA was unable to contract a third party inspector to conduct inspections of units that it owns and operates, as required by HUD regulations. This led to a gap of more than 24 months between an initial inspection and a biennial inspection for a resident living in a SHA-owned unit. Inspections of SHA-owned units have since been completed under an agreement with a neighboring housing authority and will continue to be completed in accordance with HUD regulations and requirements going forward.