Finding Text
Finding 2022-001 Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Program Titles: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers Program Federal Assistance Listing 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: Of a sample size of twenty-eight (28) tenant files, the following information was unavailable for examination at the time of audit: ? Verification of income and assets was missing in one (1) file Our sample size is statistically valid. Known Questioned Costs: $10,978 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 reasonably 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 reasonably assure compliance with the Uniform Guidance and the compliance supplement. Authority Response: The Authority has an interlocal agreement with a neighboring housing authority for administration of the Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers Program. It is the Authority's responsibility to monitor the agreements and verify adequate processing of compliance activities. The neighboring housing authority suffered a significant technical issue during the period of the effective date for the one file that did not have adequate documentation, which may have been a factor. The Authority intends to bring the Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers Program back "in-house" soon, so it can better control administration of this significant program. In the interim, however, the Authority will be conducting quality control reviews monthly of a percentage of the Authority's Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program participant files (in addition to the quality control reviews already being performed by the neighboring housing authority) to better monitor adequacy with compliance requirements.