[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26553-26554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4259]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5043-N-04]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment on 
the Quality Control for Rental Assistance Subsidy Determinations

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described 
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review, as required by the paperwork Reduction Act. The Department 
is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Comments Due Date: July 5, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: Reports Liaison Officer, Office 
of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 8226, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yves Djoko, Economic Development and 
Public Finance Division, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
451 7th Street, SW., Room 8234, Washington, DC 20410; telephone 202-
708-0426, extension 5851 (not a toll-free number). Copies of the 
proposed forms and other available documents submitted to OMB may be 
obtained from Mr. Djoko.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit the proposed 
information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended). The 
Department is required by the Improper Payments Act of 2002 to submit 
annual reports on improper payments associated with its assisted 
housing programs. The information must meet statistical accuracy tests 
and requires on-site file reviews and tenant interviews that cannot be 
accomplished with remote monitoring or HUD data systems. This Notice is 
soliciting comments from members of the public and affected agencies 
concerning the proposed collection of information to: (1) Evaluate 
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including if the 
information will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of 
the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond; including 
through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology that will reduce respondent burden 
(e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses).
    This notice also provides the following information:
    Title of Proposal: Quality Control for Rental Assistance subsidy 
Determinations.
    Description of the Need for Information and Proposed Use: The 
Department is conducting under contract a study to update its estimates 
of the extent and type of errors associated with income, rent, and 
subsidy determinations for the 4.3 million households covered by the 
Public Housing and Section 8 housing subsidies. The Quality Control 
process involves selecting a nationally representative sample of 
assisted households to measure the extent and types of errors in rent 
and income determinations, which in turn cause subsidy errors. On-site 
tenant interviews, file reviews, third-party income verifications, and 
income matching with other Federal data are conducted. The data 
obtained are used to identify the most serious problems and their 
associated costs. HUD program officers are then responsible for 
designing and implementing corrective actions. In addition to providing 
current estimates of error, results will be compared with those from 
previous years' studies. These comparisons will indicate whether 
corrective actions initiated since the 2000 study have been effective 
and if changes in priorities are needed.
    The first QC study was completed in 1996 and found that about one-
half of the errors measured using on-site tenant interviews and file 
reviews could not be detected with the 50058/50059 from data collected 
by the Department, which is why HUD and other agencies with means-
tested programs have determined that on-site reviews and interviews are 
an essential complement to remote monitoring measures. The 2000 study 
showed that the calculation errors detectable with 50058/50059 data had 
decreased, probably because this information was increasingly subject 
to automated computational checks. HUD has initiated a program of 
corrective actions and increased monitoring since 2000, and the 2003 
and 2004 studies of tenant certification and recertification actions 
showed significant error reductions in income and rent determinations. 
The results of the 2005 study, which involves data collected in the 
first half of 2006, are not yet available.
    Future studies are planned on an annual basis, as required by 
legislation. Program monitoring and income matching policies being 
implemented

[[Page 26554]]

may eliminate the need for an independent, statistically valid measure 
of program errors provided by the current study design, but such 
procedures have yet to be fully implemented and evaluated. The Improper 
Payments Act of 2002 requires that the Department report on the error 
measurements annually. This proposed data collection approval request 
is for studies to be conducted in 2007, 2008 and 2009 of prior year 
certification and recertification actions. These studies will provide 
current information on the quality of tenant interviews (e.g., whether 
they are being asked about all sources of income) and the reliability 
of eligibility determinations and income verification.
    Members of the Affected Public: Recipients of Public Housing and 
Section 8 Housing Assistance subsidies.

Estimation of the Total Number of Households That Need To Be Surveyed 
To Conduct the Information Collection, Including Number of Respondents, 
Frequency of Response, and Hours of Response

    For each study, approximately 550 PHA/program sponsor staff will 
need to be asked about recertification procedures, training, interview 
procedures, and problems encountered in conducting (re)certifications. 
Although more than one staff member may need to contacted to obtain 
answers to all questions, the questionnaire will be administered once 
at each participating project and the total interview times are 
expected to be less than 40 minutes per PHA or project. Researchers 
will survey approximately 2,400 program participants to obtain 
information on household composition, expenses, and income. The time 
required for these interviews will vary, but is estimated to require an 
average of about 50 minutes per interview.
    The time estimates provided are based on the 2004 QC survey. The 
proposed surveys will continue to make use of Computer Assisted 
Interviewing (CAI) questionnaires and equipment, which are being used 
in part because they reduce interview times. The software also provides 
for consistency check and ensures that all needed data have been 
collected, thereby reducing the need for the follow-up contacts.
    Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Pending OMB 
approval.
    Authority: Section 3506 of the paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: May 1, 2006.
Darlene F. Williams,
Assistant, Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 06-4259 Filed 5-4-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-62-M