Revise its code enforcement program to meet CDBG requirements for the remaining $33,603 budgeted or amend the use of the funding to another CDBG-eligible activity.

Determine the CDBG proportional benefit of the $329 charged for indirect automotive costs and repay the program any unsupported charges using non-Federal funds.

Obtain training or technical assistance from HUD concerning CDBG code enforcement, allocation of payroll, and indirect administrative costs.

We recommend that Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs adopt and enforce new written policies, procedures, and internal controls for all CDBG Disaster Recovery funds that have a statutory grantee expenditure deadline, which will ensure that $413,530,414 in 2013 Act funds will be put to Read More

Develop guidance that helps the public understand its options for assistance between CDBG-DR and SBA and how to comply with Federal requirements.

We recommend that the Director of HUD’s Houston Office of Community Planning and Development require the Department to support the $240,010 in unsupported procurement payments or repay its CDBG program from non-Federal funds.

Develop and implement a fraud risk checklist or other instrument as part of CPD’s monitoring oversight requirements, to be completed as part of each remote and onsite monitoring review.

Develop and implement a fraud analytics strategy using available data, including but not limited to data and information collected during the grantee risk assessment and monitoring processes, to begin conducting data analyses to identify potential fraud risks for further review.

Coordinate with CPD program staff to clarify the (1) roles and responsibilities of the CRO, HCCRT, and CPD’s risk management staff with regard to identifying, assessing, and mitigating fraud risks and (2) purpose and role of HUD’s ERM processes and program office risk management processes with Read More

Complete a program-specific fraud risk assessment and risk profile for the CDBG and ESG programs, with emphasis on CARES Act funding, and replicate this process to create program-specific fraud assessments and risk profiles for other CPD programs.

Consider OIG’s fraud risk inventory to improve CPD’s own fraud risk assessments and develop a program-specific fraud risk map and compendium.

Implement efforts to increase the awareness of fraud at all levels (headquarters, field offices, grantees, subrecipients, etc.), including but not limited to regularly publishing articles on known fraud schemes and identified instances of fraud in periodic newsletters or on CPD’s intranet website Read More

We recommend that the Director of the Office of Block Grant Assistance require the Texas GLO to provide its plan to continuously monitor Harris County’s pace and performance in its remaining Hurricane Harvey CDBG-DR program and take appropriate action to ensure that program goals are met. The plan Read More

We recommend that the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs instruct the Newark, NJ, field office to require Jersey City to provide documentation to support the fair market value of the property at the time of disposition. If documentation cannot be provided, the grantee should be Read More

We recommend that the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs instruct the Philadelphia, PA, field office to require Luzerne County to provide documentation to support the fair value of the property at the time of disposition. If documentation cannot be provided, the grantee should be Read More

Work with the Office of Community Planning and Development’s Chief Risk Officer and grantees to better identify the risks of improper and unknown payments throughout the payment cycle, to include the risks associated with grantees and subgrantees, and consider these risks when performing the CDBG Read More

We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, develop and implement a policy requiring field offices to rate grantees of at least medium risk that have not been monitored in their respective program area within the last 3 years on factors that Read More

We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, develop and implement guidance for field offices to maintain supporting documentation in their official files with an adequate explanation of procedures performed to verify risk scores assigned, which Read More

We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, develop and implement a quality control review process at the headquarters level to ensure compliance with monitoring requirements for reports and exhibits, to include but not be limited to explaining Read More

We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, require field offices to upload referenced supporting documentation into CPD’s system for findings and concerns developed during the monitoring review.