[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 10, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55281-55282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22023]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5689-N-07]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Quality Control 
for Rental Assistance Subsidy Determinations

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: Comment Due Date: November 12, 2013.

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: Colette Pollard, Reports 
Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
451 7th Street SW., Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone 
202-402-3400 (this is not a toll-free number) or email at 
[email protected] for a copy of the proposed forms or other 
available information. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may 
access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay 
Service at (800) 877-8339.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Yves Djoko, Office of Economic 
Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street 
SW., Room 8216, Washington, DC 20410; telephone 202-402-5851 (not a 
toll-free number). Copies of the proposed forms and other available 
documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Dr. 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).

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Proposal: Quality Control for Rental Assistance Subsidy 
Determinations.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-0261.
    Type of Request: Regular.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the 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 recent 
studies of tenant certification and recertification actions showed 
significant error reductions in income and rent determinations.
    Future studies are planned on an annual basis, as required by 
legislation. Program monitoring and income matching policies being 
implemented 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

[[Page 55282]]

data collection approval request is for studies to be conducted in 
2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 of prior year certification and 
recertification actions.

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

    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 affected public: Recipients of Public Housing and 
Section 8 Housing Assistance subsidies.
    Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection, including the number of respondents, frequency 
of response, and hours of response: For each study, approximately 600 
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 be 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 2011 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.
    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: August 29, 2013.
Jean Lin Pao,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 2013-22023 Filed 9-9-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P