Update HUD Handbook 1900.40, Do Not Pay policy, to clearly define the responsibilities for all parties and align it with current laws, processes, and procedures. This should include defining responsibilities for preaward and prepayment verification, and developing a process and governance structure to ensure that preaward and prepayment verification are consistently performed across HUD’s programs.

Status

HUD has until August 25, 2025 to provide its corrective action plan to OIG for review.

Analysis

Updating the HUD Handbook 1900.40 will define responsible parties for ensuring compliance with the Do Not Pay Initiative (DNP).    

The implementation of this recommendation will result in consistent use of DNP, allowing for instant verification of eligibility across the billions in payments that HUD processes.

Deobligate the 835 administrative obligations totaling $38,525,836.88 identified for deobligation during the fiscal year 2024 OOR that had not been deobligated as of February 28, 2025.

Deobligate the 101 program obligations totaling $1,967,991.45 identified for deobligation during the fiscal year 2024 OOR that had not been deobligated as of February 28, 2025.

More clearly define successful prepurchase and postpurchase homeownership counseling outcomes and use these definitions to help establish performance metrics and benchmarks for HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling and HUD-approved housing counseling agencies. This should include the types of successful outcomes under the Homeownership Initiative Grant, as well as other positive outcomes for clients that do not involve immediate homeownership.

Implement routine client outcome data analysis to identify trends, quantify performance metrics and benchmarks, and measure the impact of prepurchase and postpurchase counseling on advancing homeownership. This should include routine analysis that HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling can implement based on data collected as well as continuing to pursue an updated housing counseling data system to help overcome client outcome data limitations.

Enhance monitoring of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies’ performance, to include progress toward the established performance metrics and benchmarks.

Collaborate with ONDCP to determine the necessary adjustments to the CoC reporting methodology that ensures HUD reports annual numeric targets and actuals to ONDCP by the required November 1 due date.

Collaborate with ONDCP to determine the necessary adjustments to the RHP reporting methodology that ensures HUD reports numeric targets to ONDCP by the required November 1 due date.

Develop and execute a written agreement with ONDCP on the reporting methodology for the CoC annual numeric targets and actuals that would meet future reporting requirements and comply with the Strategy and timeframe for implementation.

Develop and execute a written agreement with ONDCP on the use of reporting annual numeric targets for the RHP performance measures that would meet future reporting requirements and comply with the Strategy and timeframe for implementation.

Establish and implement formal policies and procedures that include (1) the ONDCP reporting process between HUD’s OCFO and CPD, (2) the process for reporting to ONDCP, (3) references to any written agreements between HUD and ONDCP, and (4) a requirement for periodic reviews of these written agreements to address any changes in administration, roles, responsibilities, reporting programs, reporting requirements, and reporting methodologies.

We recommend that HUD’s General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development implement training on civil rights monitoring reviews. Additionally, CPD should ensure that training on civil rights monitoring reviews is regularly provided to CPD staff.

We recommend that HUD’s General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development implement updated guidance and protocols for monitoring civil rights compliance and require CPD staff to incorporate civil rights monitoring into the risk analysis process.

We recommend that HUD’s General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development develop guidance clarifying the use of the exhibit for on-site, hybrid, and remote monitoring to ensure a full review of grantees’ compliance with civil rights requirements, and incorporate this guidance into the training developed as a result of recommendation 1A.

We recommend that HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing implement training at the regional level to provide instruction on and stress the importance of monitoring civil rights compliance as part of the MORs.

We recommend that HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing direct HUD staff to perform all required monitoring of civil rights compliance as part of the MORs conducted.

We recommend that HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing instruct the PBCAs to include the completion of the addendum B checklist as part of the MORs performed by the PBCAs.

We recommend that HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing provide technical training to the multifamily property owners and management agents on completing addendum B accurately as part of the MORs.

Develop a policy or update the existing Grants Management Policy to include 1) the process and controls that HUD will use to hold the prime recipients accountable for FFATA compliance and 2) clearly defined roles and responsibilities between OCFO and the program offices to ensure that action is prioritized by the correct responsible parties regarding FFATA compliance.

Work with applicable program offices to develop training materials and tools, such as dashboards, to assist program offices in monitoring their grant portfolios for subaward reporting compliance.