We conducted a limited review of the Cambridge Housing Authority’s Moving to Work Housing Choice Voucher Program’s use of exception payment standards.   This program allows public housing authorities to use exception payment standards to set rental payments in excess of the payment standard established for an authority’s rents . The review was initiated as a result of a concern raised by a member of Congress about whether public housing authority officials properly implemented procedures to authorize exception vouchers. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority (1) complied with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) requirements and its own policies regarding the use of the exception payment standards and (2) maintained support for its decisions regarding these payment standards; including household and landlord selection.

Authority officials made limited use of exception payments, but when they did, for the files tested, they complied with HUD’s requirements and the Authority’s own policies regarding the use of the exception payment standards and maintained appropriate support for their decisions regarding these payment standards.

There were no recommendations.