Adequately notify homeowners that, due to COVID-19, all FHA refund applications and supporting documents should be sent electronically to avoid delay in processing. This process should include (1) developing and expediting implementation of correspondence sent to homeowners with the application, (2) a notice of operational changes on HUD’s FHA refunds websites, (3) ensuring that HUD’s Does HUD Owe You a Refund website is updated to the most recent FHA Homeowners Fact Sheet, (4) an updated voice message from the call center including an accurate email, and (5) developing an updated script for call center agents for the initial contact with the homeowner, follow up, and contact with homeowners who already submitted their application by mail.

Conduct a privacy impact assessment for accepting homeowner FHA refund applications and supporting documentation that contain PII electronically to identify potential risks and develop and implement plans to mitigate those risks.

Develop and implement written policies and procedures for SFIOD to quickly respond to emergency situations when staff cannot return to the office. Procedures should include steps to quickly notify homeowners of any changes made to the FHA refund process.

Create separate reporting lines between model development and model validation functions so that both critical model functions do not report to OER, are appropriately segregated in accordance with industry guidance, and follow the foundational component of internal control standards.

Repay the U.S. Treasury from non-Federal funds for the $1,550 overpaid to acquire a foreclosed NSP3 property.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s Office of Davis-Bacon and Labor Standards seek guidance from the Department of Labor to correct the wage determinations where applicable for the five projects addressed in this report.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s Office of Davis-Bacon and Labor Standards based on the outcome of recommendation 1A, determine the correct wages to be paid to workers and ensure that appropriate actions are taken to pay the workers.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s Office of Davis-Bacon and Labor Standards update HUD Handbook 1344.1, REV-2, CHG-2, and Labor Relations Letter No. LR-96-03 to comply with the Department of Labor’s policies and guidance on the application of wage determinations for construction projects.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s Office of Davis-Bacon and Labor Standards develop and implement controls to ensure that the appropriate Davis-Bacon wage rate determinations are implemented in the contracts of FHA-insured multifamily construction projects that require multiple wage determinations, including the requirement that contract specifications clearly identify the portions of the contract subject to each assigned wage determination, and that adequate documentation to support wage determinations is maintained.

Require the Authority to reimburse the six tenants who overpaid rent totaling $1,550 using non-Federal funds.

Require the Authority to develop and implement internal control procedures that support its policy and ensure a proper tenant selection process when selecting tenants for housing.

Ensure that the Authority follows all applicable HUD requirements related to accessing, use, and safeguarding credentials of HUD systems.

Conduct and make available internal HEROS training for all multifamily HEROS users on how to document the environmental review mitigation measures.

Establish and implement written procedures specifying which multifamily employees are required to upload mitigation resolutions after construction completion and at final endorsement.

Upload the 17 missing mitigation resolutions and the 1 missing radon testing document into HEROS for the projects in this finding.

Strengthen HEROS or internal procedures to add an additional requirement confirming that the mitigation resolutions have been uploaded at final endorsement.

Strengthen HEROS by adding a column on the dashboard to show the progress of the overall mitigation status.

Take appropriate actions to prioritize the need for resources necessary to ensure that HUD fully implements the remaining four responsibilities as required by sections 759(a)(1), 759(a)(2), 759(a)(4), and 759(a)(5) of the Geospatial Data Act of 2018.

The OIG has determined that the contents of this recommendation would not be appropriate for public disclosure and has therefore limited its distribution to selected officials.

The OIG has determined that the contents of this recommendation would not be appropriate for public disclosure and has therefore limited its distribution to selected officials.