To promote equal opportunity and identify and eliminate discriminatory practices, Federal regulation mandates that agencies review and respond to all employment-related discrimination complaints.  At the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Office of Departmental Equal Employment Opportunity (ODEEO) is responsible for the enforcement of Federal laws related to eliminating all forms of discrimination in HUD’s...

We contracted with the independent public accounting firm of Sikich CPA LLC to audit the financial statements of HUD as of and for the fiscal years ending September 30, 2024 and 2023, and to provide reports on HUD’s (1) internal control over financial reporting and (2) compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements and other matters, including whether financial management systems complied substantially with the...

We contracted with the independent public accounting firm Sikich CPA LLC to audit the financial statements of Ginnie Mae as of and for the years ending September 30, 2024 and 2023, and to provide reports on Ginnie Mae’s (1) internal control over financial reporting and (2) compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements and other matters.  Our contract with Sikich required that the audit be performed in...

We contracted with the independent public accounting firm of Sikich CPA LLC to audit the financial statements of FHA as of and for the fiscal years ending September 30, 2024 and 2023, and to provide reports on FHA’s (1) internal control over financial reporting and (2) compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements and other matters.  Our contract with Sikich required that the audit be performed in accordance...

HUD OIG is conducting an audit of HUD’s HECM Life Expectancy Set Asides within the Office of Housing. In 2015, HUD set a requirement for some HECM borrowers to maintain a Life Expectancy Set Aside to pay for future property taxes, insurance premiums, and flood insurance on behalf of the borrower. Our objective is to determine if HUD’s HECM Life Expectancy Set Aside calculations are meeting program goals. 

HUD OIG is auditing HUD's oversight of Section 232 nursing home portfolios. HUD's Office of Residential Care Facilities is responsible for administering the Section 232 mortgage insurance program which insures more than 3,600 loans, with an unpaid principal balance of more than $32 billion. Our audit objective is to assess the extent to which HUD's Office of Residential Care Facilities identifies and mitigates risks in Section 232...

HUD OIG is conducting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 evaluation of the HUD's information security (InfoSec) program and practices, as required by the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA). The objectives are to (1) perform an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of HUD’s InfoSec program and practices as required by FISMA; (2) test the effectiveness of HUD’s InfoSec policies, procedures, and practices through...

The OIG evaluated the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Housing’s (Housing) progress in applying zero trust security principles to protect personally identifiable information (PII) within the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Catalyst system.HUD was in the beginning stages of implementing zero trust requirements for the data and identity pillars. HUD Office of Housing systems, including FHA Catalyst,...

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) directs Inspectors General to conduct an annual evaluation of the agency information security program. FISMA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) establish information technology (IT) security guidance and standards for Federal agencies. We conducted this evaluation to...

The purpose of this memorandum is to alert the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to an issue that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), has identified that affects the timeliness with which public housing agencies (PHA) with units that have lead-based paint are performing required lead-based paint visual assessments.HUD OIG audited, among other issues, whether three of the nation’s largest...

As of January 2024, 85 percent of HUD employees had approved telework agreements, and 9 percent had approved remote work agreements.  HUD estimated that 31 percent of remote employees were remote as a reasonable accommodation.  Most of HUD’s remote workers served in a limited number of occupations.  We evaluated the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer’s (OCHCO) controls over the quality of data related to...

HUD OIG is auditing HUD's compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA) for fiscal year 2024. PIIA helps agencies identify improper payments, which could impact HUD’s beneficiaries and ultimately undermines the integrity of HUD’s programs, which hinders HUD in fully achieving its mission. Our objectives are to assess (1) whether HUD has met all requirements of PIIA for fiscal year 2024 and OMB Circular A-123...

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity’s (FHEO) challenges in completing housing discrimination investigations within 100 days.  We initiated the audit due to the number of investigations reported in FHEO’s annual reports to Congress that exceeded 100 days.  Our objective was to survey and assess the challenges FHEO faces in completing investigations...

 The Geospatial Data of 2018 (the Act) governs the collection, production, acquisition, maintenance, distribution, use, and preservation of geospatial data of covered agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) efforts to meet the geospatial data requirements stated in the Act.  The Act requires the Inspector...

We audited HUD and its grantees’ monitoring of subrecipients and contractors in HUD’s Emergency Solutions Grants Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (ESG-CV) program to assess subrecipient monitoring in the program.  ESG and ESG-CV grantees often rely on subrecipients and contractors to carry out ESG-CV-funded activities on behalf of the grantees, and are required to monitor subrecipients to ensure that the...

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD or Department) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity’s (FHEO) process for conducting civil rights compliance reviews.  FHEO’s operational readiness to carry out robust compliance reviews is critical to HUD’s goals to advance equity and support underserved communities.  Our objective was to survey and assess challenges FHEO faced in conducting...

HUD OIG is conducting an evaluation of HUD’s reporting of elevated blood lead levels (EBLL) in HUD-assisted Multifamily properties receiving Section 8 project-based rental assistance. Our objective is to (1) determine how the Office of Multifamily Housing tracks and reports EBLL cases in HUD-assisted Multifamily properties receiving Section 8 project-based rental assistance. 

HUD OIG is auditing Puerto Rico's Community Energy and Water Resilience Installations Program (CEWRI). HUD awarded Puerto Rico over $20 billion dollars in CDBG-DR funding after the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Of the total award, $395 million was budgeted to the CEWRI program. Our objective is to determine to what extent did the CEWRI program address the energy and water system vulnerabilities of its low-and-moderate income...

HUD OIG is auditing a New York-based grantee's Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG-CV) program. The CARES Act provided nearly $4 billion in special ESG funds to grantees to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and supports activities, such as, rapid re-housing, homelessness prevention programs, and emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness....

We audited the Boston Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program.  We initiated this audit based upon our assessment of risks associated with public housing agencies' HCV Program units, as well as recent media attention and public concern about the conditions of subsidized housing properties.  Our objective was to determine whether the physical conditions of the Authority’s HCV units complied with both the U.S....