NMA is pleased to announce the debut of the NMA Model EIV Use and Security Policies for HUD’s multifamily housing programs! These policies make an excellent companion for the NMA Model Tenant Selection Plan (TSP) and Guide, which joined our existing family of model policies, including the model administrative plan, the model ACOP, and the model FSS action plan, earlier this year.

For those developments participating in HUD's multifamily program, the EIV use and security policies provide guidance on the protocol for the use of EIV information and printed reports, as well as the rules for maintaining tenant privacy and document security. With our user-friendly model policies, owners of project-based rental assistance (PBRA) projects will not only be certain they have current and compliant policies, but also potentially save hundreds of hours of work.

Many PHAs are asking, "What does the shutdown mean to our agency and the families we serve?" Yesterday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) posted a 67-page contingency plan which provides some guidance to PHAs on the impacts of a lapse in appropriations due to the federal government shutdown.

According to the contingency plan, PHAs will continue to be able to access HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) secure systems, such as the Voucher Management System (VMS), the PIH Information Center (PIC) system, the Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system, and the Line of Credit Control Systems (LOCCS), among others. However, although HUD's PIH systems will be largely available, PIH staff and contractors will not be available to answer questions regarding the systems. RAD applications will continue to be accepted, but they will not be reviewed until after the shutdown.

HCV housing assistance payments and administrative fee funding for the month of October are scheduled to be disbursed to PHAs according to the regular schedule, but any November funding is contingent upon the outcome of the government shutdown. Any public housing operating subsidy or capital funds that have already been obligated through LOCCS can be drawn down, but additional funding is also contingent on the shutdown. As a result of the funding uncertainty, PHAs should carefully monitor their financial situations throughout the government shutdown.

• PIH staff will not be attending any meetings or conducting monitoring or technical assistance visits at PHAs
• REAC inspections will not be conducted
• PIH staff will not be available to answer any non-emergency questions from PHAs, residents, or others
• Contact information for PIH emergency operations during the government shutdown will be posted on the HUD website

For further details on the portion of the contingency plan that concerns programs administered by PIH, see pages 7 and 57–63. NMA will continue to update the blog as more information on the government shutdown becomes available.

One week left to register for the 2013 NMA Housing Conference and GoSection8 User Conference! New track sessions and signups for one-on-one consulting have just been announced. To read the full list of sessions, go here.

Executive Leadership for Performance Excellence

Don't Waste Strategy Time on Goal Setting!
Presenter, Eric Kaufmann, President, Sagatica LLC

Most strategy sessions are merely operational — a missed leadership opportunity. Eric Kaufmann guides leadership teams across the country and coaches corporate CEOs. He will present the way to prepare a strategic action plan that becomes a useful resource to accomplish your agency’s goals within limited funding. You will discover the six deadly mistakes of strategy planning. Ask the right questions, set the right measurements, and get to work!

Regulatory Knowledge for Smart Management

Why Your Agency Should Be Taking a Second Look at RAD
Presenter, Carrol Vaughan

The RAD demonstration program is a unique opportunity for housing authorities to convert their at-risk public housing to long-term Section 8 rental assistance contracts. In this session, we’ll cover the latest information on the program and discuss why your housing authority should take a serious look at whether RAD would work for your agency. We’ll also hear from staff at a large housing authority on why their agency is considering submitting an application, and review the thought process involved in making the decision to apply.

Fair Housing/Civil Rights Reviews: Are You Prepared?
Presenter, Annie Stevenson

Using HUD’s civil rights review checklist, we’ll discuss fair housing requirements for the public housing and HCV programs. Topics will include limited English proficiency (LEP), reasonable accommodations, alternative communication methods, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare for civil rights monitoring.

Free One-on-One NMA Consulting

Reserve your free session with an NMA industry expert! These consulting sessions are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. In fact, some are already full, so we encourage you to sign up now.

Nan McKay, President and Founder
Expertise: HCV program management






John McKay, CEO
Expertise: Performance management, applying Baldrige principles to affordable housing






Carrol Vaughan, VP of Professional Services
Expertise: Procurement, organizational development






Dorian Jenkins, VP of Program Management
Expertise: HCV program, public housing leasing, tenant relations, rent collection, REAC prep, cost controls





Cydney Jones, Director of Program Management
Expertise: General HCV topics and issues






Sheryl Putnam, Professional Development Manager
Expertise: LIHTC compliance, HOME, PBRA






Samantha Pratter, Writing Supervisor
Expertise: HCV and public housing eligibility, occupancy, and rent calculation






Annie Stevenson, Senior Trainer
Expertise: Fair housing, hearings, EIV, general HCV and public housing topics






Terry Provance, Senior Trainer
Expertise: Fair housing, PHAS, public housing property management, general asset management issues





Sammie Szabo, Associate Trainer
Expertise: General HCV and public housing, PBV, blended occupancy






Jay Ortenzo, Property Services Manager
Expertise: HCV inspections and standards, public housing maintenance management






Teri Robertson, Senior Consultant
Expertise: SEMAP, quality control, HCV program utilization






Betty Turner, Senior Associate Trainer
Expertise: Transition to asset management, supervision, working with commissioners






Please note that you must be a registered conference attendee or new registrant in order to take advantage of free consulting sessions. Non-registrants without an accompanying registration are not eligible. Register online or email sales@nanmckay.com for more information. Winners of the 2013 NMA Housing Awards will be announced at the conference — don't miss it!

I think we can all agree that the past year has been one of the most challenging in recent memory. Up until the last moment, many of us didn't really think that sequestration would go through. But it did, and our nation's housing authorities rose to the test.

For the upcoming NMA Housing Conference and GoSection8 User Conference, we've brought together a diverse group of speakers and industry experts to provide insight on a broad range of topics relevant to those of us facing budget cutbacks under sequestration, including:

• The impact of the Treasury's cash management requirements on the HCV program
• Managing a public agency with a corporate sector approach
• The growth of technology and its impact on rent determination
• Reporting public housing operating fund activity on the FDS
• How to focus on landlord retention and participation
• Using HUD's two-year forecasting tool for HAP expense planning
• How to improve the quality and value of your services at a reduced cost
• EIV, PIC, VMS: Are these systems costing your agency money?
• Deconcentration and its impact on rent reasonableness
• Are you using asking rents or actual rents? How it affects the open market
• PHA resiliency in the post-sequestration world
• Sustainability: Cost-effective renovation
• The ins and outs of CFP reporting and close-out
• And a legislative update from Nan McKay herself

I hope you'll be able to attend the inaugural NMA Housing Conference, now only a few weeks away — and when you do, come on up and say hi! I look forward to sharing strategies for success.

John McKay has been with NMA since 1998, and has served as chief executive officer of the company since 2007. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was vice president of operations, spearheading the creation of the new consulting and technology services departments. This initiative introduced the first fully functional NMA Performance Portal to the affordable housing market.

Mr. McKay brings his knowledge of housing regulations and industry best practices into his role as project executive on many of NMA’s contracts with large housing authority clients and HUD. He has assessed, analyzed, and provided feedback to some of the country’s most well-run private and public organizations.

Registration for the first-ever NMA Housing Conference is now open, and session information has been announced.

2013 NMA Housing Conference
and GoSection8 User Conference

September 9–10 in San Diego, CA

Sign up now and receive 20% off Blended Occupancy Management and HCV Program Management!

Choose one of these new certification classes to attend directly following the conference, and make it a complete week of learning in beautiful San Diego on the bay.

Visit our website to register

With four tracks of concurrent sessions, you'll enjoy the opportunity to explore two very full days of expert panels, round-table discussions, free consulting, and networking with key players in the industry. You'll also receive a certificate of achievement for attending an entire track (choose from executive, regulatory, financial, and GoSection8).

Keynote Speaker

Leading at a Higher Level: Creating High-Performing Organizations
Presenter, Ann Phillips of the Ken Blanchard Companies

Executive Leadership for Performance Excellence

Ensuring the Best Performance for the Money: Quality Assurance from the Executive Level
Presenters, John McKay, Dorian Jenkins, Michael Petragallo, Andrew Denicola

This session will focus on how successful housing executives ensure excellent staff performance and the overall cost efficiency of their agency by applying performance management metrics and a proactive quality assurance approach. We will discuss methods to ensure staff performance, covering all personnel from line staff to finance and inspection, as well as provide information about cost-saving measures to take back to your agency.

Managing a Public Agency with a Corporate Sector Approach
Presenter, Cydney Jones

Applying private sector techniques to your agency doesn't have to mean losing focus of its social mission. This informative session will provide PHA leaders with tools and insight to develop an organizational culture of performance excellence, accountability, fiscal responsibility, and organizational sustainability. The session will provide tips, tools, and guidance used in the corporate sector to develop and maintain high performance and fiscal prudence within the public sector environment.

How to Improve the Quality and Value of Your Services at a Reduced Cost
Presenter, Mark Frater, President, LeanFirm

Attend this session and learn how to employ a collaborative methodology at your housing authority by adopting lean principles. Discussion topics will include developing a highly effective path to maximizing the talents and contributions of your agency, facilitating motivation, productivity, customer satisfaction, and fiscal control. In today's era of budget cuts, it's more important than ever to improve the timeliness and quality of services throughout your housing agency by eliminating waste and inefficiency.

Don't Waste Strategy Time on Goal Setting!
Presenter, Eric Kaufmann, President, Sagatica LLC

Most strategy sessions are merely operational — a missed leadership opportunity. Eric Kaufmann guides leadership teams across the country and coaches corporate CEOs. He will present the way to prepare a strategic action plan that becomes a useful resource to accomplish your agency’s goals within limited funding. You will discover the six deadly mistakes of strategy planning. Ask the right questions, set the right measurements, and get to work!

PHA Resiliency in the Post-Sequestration World
Presenter, Kevin Sheriff, ERS Senior Manager, Deloitte & Touche LLP

This session will explore the short- and long-term future of PHAs' roles in their communities and how they can survive and thrive in the face of dwindling federal resources and ongoing chatter about consolidation. We will discuss strategies that PHAs can explore beyond the traditional methods (e.g. mixed finance, alternative revenue-generating activities, energy performance contracts) to recast their organizations for sustainable, long-term success.

Regulatory Knowledge for Smart Management

Why Your Agency Should Be Taking a Second Look at RAD
Presenter, Carrol Vaughan

The RAD demonstration program is a unique opportunity for housing authorities to convert their at-risk public housing to long-term Section 8 rental assistance contracts. In this session, we’ll cover the latest information on the program and discuss why your housing authority should take a serious look at whether RAD would work for your agency. We’ll also hear from staff at a large housing authority on why their agency is considering submitting an application, and review the thought process involved in making the decision to apply.

Legislative Update
Presenter, Nan McKay and Terry Provance

What's the latest news in the industry? In this session we'll review the most important notices released in 2013, any breaking news that you need to be aware of, and what we see coming down the pipe for 2014.

Fair Housing/Civil Rights Reviews: Are You Prepared?
Presenter, Annie Stevenson

Using HUD’s civil rights review checklist, we’ll discuss fair housing requirements for the public housing and HCV programs. Topics will include limited English proficiency (LEP), reasonable accommodations, alternative communication methods, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare for civil rights monitoring.

EIV, PIC, VMS: Are These Systems Costing Your Agency Money?
Presenters, Dorian Jenkins and Raymond Buhr

In this session, NMA staff will go over HUD's reporting requirements and provide tips to help your agency properly utilize Enterprise Income Verification (EIV), maximize your PIH Information Center (PIC) reporting rate, simplify the Voucher Management System (VMS), and ensure you aren't losing precious housing dollars.

Sustainability: Cost-Effective Renovation
Presenter, Jay Ortenzo

Are you tired of hearing phrases like, “We have to do more with less”? Truth is, we have to plan and be smart about the way we use our resources. While there’s always a cost associated with any renovation we do, labor, materials, overhead, profit, bad design, poor product choice, and installation mistakes cost your agency more than necessary. This session will focus on how to ensure you're getting the best renovation work for the money.

Financial Strategy for Maximizing Resources

The Impact of the Treasury's Cash Management Requirements on the HCV Program
Presenter, Ray Adair

This session will explain the impact that the implementation of the Treasury's cash management requirements will have on HCV housing assistance payment (HAP) revenue recognition, the formation of the HCV program reserve, net restricted assets (NRA) reporting, and interest earned on invested NRA balances.

Reporting Public Housing Operating Fund Activity on the FDS
Presenter, Ron Urlaub

This session will cover how new public housing and mixed-finance projects are created in the Financial Data Schedule (FDS), general project-level reporting for both conventional public housing projects and mixed-finance projects, and common public housing operating fund reporting issues on the FDS.

Using HUD's Two-Year Forecasting Tool for HAP Expense Planning
Presenter, Ray Adair

HUD has developed an Excel forecasting tool (posted with a user guide on the HCV home page) to assist PHAs in the financial management of the HCV program. The focus of this session will be on reviewing the funding available to support HAP (annual budget authority, net restricted assets, program reserves, and unrestricted net assets) and how to make the best use of the two-year forecasting tool. We will review the major sections of the tool, as well as what data is needed to use the tool and where to find it. In addition, you will learn how to use the tool to run "what if" scenarios, and how to use the tool's dashboard to determine whether leasing is within available funding.

FASS-PH System Updates
Presenter, Ray Adair

This session will explain the recent and planned REAC Financial Assessment System for public housing agencies (FASS-PH) system updates that impact financial reporting on the Financial Data Schedule (FDS) for both the public housing and HCV programs.

Reconciling VMS Reporting to the FDS
Presenter, Ron Urlaub

This session will review which fields on the Voucher Management System (VMS) are expected to tie or come close to the values reported on the Financial Data Schedule (FDS).

The Ins and Outs of CFP Reporting and Close-Out
Presenter, Ray Adair

This session will focus on how budget line items (BLI) are used for budgetary control of the Capital Fund Program (CFP), CFP eligible and ineligible expenses, Financial Data Schedule (FDS) reporting of the CFP and the Capital Fund Financing Program at the project level, and CFP close-out.

How Go8's Technology Can Be a Cost-Saving Resource for Your Agency

Introduction to GoSection8
GoSection8 is the largest rental-listing service for the Section 8 housing market. We service families, landlords, and public housing agencies across the United States. Hundreds of thousands of tenants and landlords nationwide benefit from our programs.

Don't Spend Money on Software: We Have the Solution
In an environment of eminent budget cuts, learn how Go8's free listing service can save you time and money.

GoSection8 Software Demonstration
Since our inception in 2004, GoSection8 (Go8) has been an effective resource for housing agencies across the country. Our software streamlines the rent reasonable process, automatically integrating comparable data and generating HUD-compliant rent reasonable reports. Go8 will save your staff valuable time, eliminating the need for mining data or contracting with an outside vendor to purchase comparables.

Best Practices of Different-Size Agencies and Their Savings with Go8 Software
A detailed study of various-sized agencies with different asking rents, approved rents, and annual savings received by implementing the Go8 software. We offer an audit-proven and efficient way to determine rent reasonableness as required by HUD.

The Growth of Technology and Its Impact on Rent Determination
Go8 offers on-demand mobile applications and software integration. Users can perform rent reasonable comparisons on-site, in real time, using their current housing software — no need to log into your Go8 account.

How to Focus on Landlord Retention and Participation: Why It's Important in This Economy and with Budget Cuts
Landlord outreach and participation are more important than ever. We will discuss current market trends and automated marketing solutions and review Go8's HCV Landlord Participation Index.

Educate Your Staff: How to Do Certifications, Review Annual Savings, and Analyze Reports
Learn how Go8 can help your agency do more with less effort. This training module will ensure you are maximizing the Go8 software and performing rent reasonable determinations correctly.

How to Get the Most out of Your Go8 Software: Review New Features, Upgrades, and Reports
Find out about Go8's newest features and give us your feedback. We have been busy building new improvements to our site to make the user experience even better.

Customized Search Results for Your Families Based on Their Income and Your Jurisdiction
Go8's affordability calculator tailors search results based on a family's income, using payment standards and the landlord's utility schedule.

Deconcentration and Its Impact on Rent Reasonableness
Learn how to improve your agency's SEMAP scores. Go8's listings can be customized to exclude HUD-determined low-income qualified census tracks.

Are You Using Asking Rents or Actual Rents? How It Affects the Open Market
We will demonstrate the surprising difference between asking rent and actual rent.

Go8's Custom Listing Service
We manage and maintain your landlord's listings and also offer a mobile platform to view tenant leads.

Registrations for the NMA Housing Conference and GoSection8 User Conference are now 20% off when you register before July 15, 2013. Sign up online or email sales@nanmckay.com for more information.

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) has issued Notice PIH 2013-3 to establish temporary compliance provisions intended to "increase flexibility and reduce administrative burden" so that PHAs can "better manage their programs within current allocated budget authority."

The temporary provisions, which are available until March 31, 2014, allow PHAs administering the public housing or the housing choice voucher (HCV) program to do the following:

• Determine a family’s annual income by using either projected future income or actual past income. PHAs that elect the latter option must use the most recent 12 months of income information available in the Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system. They must also follow other instructions provided on page 2 of today’s notice.
• For a family with assets worth $5,000 or less, accept the family’s declaration of the value of the assets and the amount of income they generate. No supporting documentation is required.
• Conduct streamlined reexaminations for elderly and disabled families on fixed incomes, as defined on page 3 of the notice. In a streamlined reexamination, a PHA simply applies “any published cost of living adjustments to the previously verified income amount.”

In addition to these three temporary provisions, the notice includes a fourth for PHAs administering the HCV program: Without HUD approval, they may establish a payment standard of up to 120 percent of the fair market rent as a reasonable accommodation for a person with disabilities.

PHAs that wish to adopt any of these temporary compliance provisions must notify HUD and update their plans or policies accordingly, as directed in section 4 of today’s notice. PHAs with questions about the provisions should contact one of the HUD employees identified in section 6.

Again, the provisions are available to PHAs for only 14 months. However, as Notice PIH 2013-03 explicitly states, “HUD intends to pursue more permanent changes to increase flexibility and reduce administrative burden and will be informed by PHAs’ use of the temporary compliance provisions of this notice.”

Model policies for implementing Notice PIH 2013-03 will be included in the upcoming revisions of NMA's model administrative plan and model ACOP. To stay updated on the latest program information, subscribe to the PIH Alert and Housing Resource Newsletter.

HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing has posted guidance on how PHAs can achieve EIV quarterly stardom (scroll about halfway down the page and find the link under "EIV Tips & Guidance").

The deadline for the third quarter of FFY 2012 is this Friday, June 29, at 3pm eastern time.

All PHAs have to report at least 95% of their VMS unit count to IMS/PIC through the form 50058. In order to successfully gauge your performance with PIC reporting, you'll need:

• An accurate report from your system of the current 50058 for each household, including but not limited to the head of household's social security number (HOH SSN), current action type, and current effective date
• An adhoc report from PIC over the program you are administering, with at least current action type and effective date
• An application that can compare two sets of data, such as Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access

With those items in hand, it's a simple matter of matching up the HOH SSN from PIC with your agency's report. Calculate your PIC reporting rate by dividing the number of matching IDs over the total number of active households in the program.

For example, if your agency's report shows 1,250 vouchers administered, and the PIC adhoc report matched 1,100 SSNs, your reporting rate is 88%. A rate that low will get HUD on your back and limit the ability to use EIV.

Here are some ideas to increase your PIC reporting rate:

Tip #1: Compare often.

Use the PIC adhoc reports to compare with your agency's current 50058 on at least a quarterly basis. Even better, plan a full audit each month to compare your VMS report with PIC.

Tip #2: Group missing families by correction type.

When you've identified the households that are in your agency, but not in PIC, review and group them into categories for correction based on why they're missing. It's easier to fix PIC errors when the correction is the same, rather than individually.

Examples include:

• Port-ins who are still in the initial agency with a later effective date
• Port-outs who have been leased by the receiving agency, but haven't notified your agency

Other, trickier examples:

• HOH changes
• HOH SSN corrections
• Multiple subsidy cases

Lastly, if reporting to PIC MTW, families with current action type 13 — HQS Inspections don't show up in adhoc reports, so speak with your PIC coach to discuss how your PHA will overcome that obstacle.

Tip #3: Utilize the action type 14 — Historical Adjustment.

Under normal circumstances, you want all your 50058 history to be in PIC for each household. Sometimes this isn't possible. A historical adjustment can get someone into PIC, at which point all future 50058s should make it through without a problem.

A code 14 is helpful when:

• Converting from MTCS database to MTW database in PIC
• Moving a participant from public housing to tenant-based program
• Admitting a participant from your waitlist who was already leased in another PHA

Tip #4: Compare to PIC in both directions.

Finding out who's missing from PIC is only half the battle; finding out who's still in PIC, and shouldn't be, is the other half. Usually, these are action type 6 — End of Participant cases that were rejected as fatal errors and never corrected, although SSN corrections can lead to duplicate records if not done properly. If you're over-reporting to PIC, that's generally a sign to HUD that something is wrong.

Tip #5: Don't get void happy.

When starting to clean up PIC or when your quality control review finds multiple incorrect actions, the tendency is to submit a void on each action submitted. Be careful not to submit too many action type 15 — Voids to PIC for one SSN, because PIC will send all actions to the historical database, or just remove their history completely! You don't want to create another problem (missing from PIC) by trying to correct an action from a long time ago.

These tips should help you start identifying the current state of your PIC reporting and correcting any and all anomalies you find.

Senior Analyst Raymond Buhr is the PIC guru for NMA's Chicago team, which administers 17,000 contracts on behalf of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA).

Nan McKay and Associates has provided IMS/PIC reporting solutions to housing authorities throughout the nation. For more information, contact sales@nanmckay.com.

GoSection8: President and Congress prepare to battle over assisted-housing funds

HUD: Office of Fair Housing launches new series of radio and print ads

NHC: How PHAs can help maximize tax refunds for working families

PIH: Congratulations to the PHAs with zero deficiencies on their EIV reports (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Leave your links and recommendations in the comments.

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) has issued a new notice revising its guidance on the effective use of the Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system to verify social security numbers (SSNs) and benefit information from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Notice PIH 2012-10, issued February 15, 2012, replaces previous guidance on the same subject provided in Notice PIH 2010-3 and remains in effect until amended, superseded, or rescinded.

While the new notice leaves much of the previous guidance untouched, it makes many clarifications and several key changes. For example:

• It transforms numerous recommendations into requirements by replacing should with must or shall.
• It prohibits individuals who previously declared to have eligible immigration status from changing their declarations.
• It allows (rather than requires) PHAs to destroy documentation of an SSN after obtaining verification of the SSN through the EIV system.

You will find other important clarifications and additions throughout the notice. For this reason we recommend a thorough reading from beginning to end.

NMA Master Books offer EIV guidance and annual revisions with the most current HUD rules and regulations. To stay updated on the latest program information, subscribe to the PIH Alert and Housing Resource Newsletter.