Leverage HUD OIG’s fraud risk inventory and continue using the Office of the Chief Risk Officer’s risk catalog to enhance CPD’s fraud risk management process.

Include grantees in the fraud risk identification process and communicate the risks and schemes identified for the disaster recovery program to relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to, all HUD staff in the CPD Office of  Disaster Recovery, grantees and sub-recipients.

Use CPD’s fraud risk inventory to identify data needs, potential system enhancements, and implement data analysis techniques to improve CPD’s ability to monitor and respond to fraud risks in the Disaster Recovery program.

Evaluate and enhance its fraud risk management activities by incorporating fraud risk management practices that are in alignment with the best practices identified in GAO’s A Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in Federal Programs and Chief Financial Officers Council’s Antifraud Playbook.

Obtain training or technical assistance on the implementation of fraud risk management practices consistent with the Internal Control Integrated Framework, issued by COSO.

Issue guidance, including technical assistance, to all disaster recovery grantees that waivers for issues related to a disaster’s impact, like waivers of procurement policies, should be for reasonable and limited time periods after a disaster’s occurrence to ensure full and open competition.
 

Require the State to include in its procurement policy a reference to the New York State law which limits a State waiver of policies to 30 days unless renewed and to ensure that it clearly states whether the law affects the Governor’s 2012 waiver. Further, if it does not affect the 2012 waiver, require the State to take action to limit the use of that waiver to ensure full and open competition.
 

Collaborate with ONDCP to determine the necessary adjustments to the CoC reporting methodology that ensures HUD reports annual numeric targets and actuals to ONDCP by the required November 1 due date.

Collaborate with ONDCP to determine the necessary adjustments to the RHP reporting methodology that ensures HUD reports numeric targets to ONDCP by the required November 1 due date.

We recommend that the Director of CPD’s Office of Disaster Recovery require active disaster recovery grantees to report in DRGR other sources of funding used for non-Federal match activities.

We recommend that the Director of CPD’s Office of Disaster Recovery develop and implement internal controls to ensure that grantees completely and accurately report non-Federal match activities in DRGR.

We recommend that HUD work with Connecticut and Shelby County to fully realize the program benefits by (1) assessing whether any of the current project activities need to be replaced with more viable project activities, thereby ensuring that any modifications to the project activities will lessen the susceptibility of rain and flood events; (2) assessing whether administrative funds have been properly allocated and charged to identify any possible cost savings; (3) determining whether enough administrative funds or other available funds exist to complete the administration of the grant project activities; and (4) developing and implementing a written plan of action that will assist with expediting the project activities that could reasonably be expected to be completed by the September 30, 2029, deadline.

We recommend that HUD for its disaster-related program wide activities, revise the action plan and quarterly performance review checklists to a format that more specifically and directly addresses the subject program.

We recommend that the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations of Community Planning and Development enhance CPDs existing Grant Accrual Standard Operating Procedures to strengthen governance within CPD and to effectively work within the framework established by the OCFO in recommendation 1A. The updated procedures should include increased ownership and oversight over the reviews, authorizations, approvals, and changes to the CPD grant accrual estimates and methodology.

Take corrective action for the subrecipient monitoring and agreement issues cited for eight of the ESG-CV grantees reviewed, and provide additional guidance and technical assistance as needed to ensure that they understand requirements.

Develop and implement additional subrecipient monitoring training and guidance for all ESG grantees.

Improve or enhance its antifraud efforts for the ESG program and incorporate fraud risk management practices that are consistent with the best practices identified in the Government Accountability Office’s A Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in Federal Programs and Chief Financial Officers Council and Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Services’ Antifraud Playbook.

Obtain training or technical assistance as needed on the implementation of fraud risk management practices.

We recommend that HUD require the City to reassess the eight infrastructure projects still in the design or planning phase to determine whether the City can complete the projects or how the remaining funds could be best used within the 6 years remaining for the grant period to ensure that the City is protected from future storm and rain events.

We recommend that HUD require the City to for the $14,683,335 originally budgeted for the Milneburg and Microgrid projects, work with HUD to (1) determine whether its planned action plan amendment would constitute the need to submit a substantial action plan amendment, (2) ensure that any modifications in its action plan amendment would lessen the susceptibility of rain and flood events within the Gentilly area, and (3) require that any activities pursued under the action plan amendment could reasonably be expected to be completed by the September 30, 2029, deadline.