Provide more detailed guidance to HUD reviewers and FHEO regional directors on when and under what circumstances to recommend or issue a PIP.

Update HUD Handbook 8024.01, REV-2, and regional intake policies and procedures as necessary to include (1) minimum requirements that all regions follow for documenting in HEMS attempts to reach out to claimants when additional information is needed before closing inquiries; (2) policies and procedures for collecting, recording, and documenting all relevant electronic intake information in HEMS; and (3) clarifying that communications with claimants regarding inquiry closure, requests for additional information, and notices of jurisdiction information clearly inform the claimant of the ability to provide additional information within the statute of limitations.

Develop a process to oversee housing discrimination allegations that FHAP agencies close and do not submit to HUD for dual-filing to ensure that the closure and jurisdictional determinations are consistent with the Fair Housing Act. To help address this recommendation, HUD should consider requiring FHAP agencies to enter data on closed inquiries in HEMS and make updates to FHAP agreements as necessary.

Standardize position descriptions and job analyses for mission-critical occupations, high-risk occupations, and positions with high-volume staffing needs.

Develop and share best practices with HUD’s program offices on how hiring managers can execute hiring process responsibilities to meet timeliness goals.

Determine the cause for the variations in the timeliness of the preemployment and security checks step in FY 2017, 2018, and 2019 and develop appropriate process improvements.

Develop and document comprehensive reference documents on the hiring processes, procedures, roles, and responsibilities.

Develop and implement regular training for process owners on the hiring process.

Create and implement a knowledge management strategy, such as developing standard operating procedures, reference sheets, and program office fact sheets.

Corrective Action Taken

OCHCO developed and implemented client profiles for each HUD program office to address knowledge loss and the need for offices to explain or reexplain their mission and functions. The profiles will serve as a central repository to learn about the various programs and missions of HUD and will allow OCHCO staff, other key HUD program office staff, and HUD’s service provider staff to view critical information for each HUD program office.

Conduct a feasibility study for an automated POL.

Develop and implement time-to-hire goals that account for each hiring process step.

Develop and document methodologies on how OCHCO calculates hiring metrics to ensure that its hiring metrics and hiring goals align across all of its data sources, including the POL, the human capital dashboard, and the HCOP.

Track the quality of candidates as measured by the hiring officials.

Track the number of recruit attempts that result in a selection, the number of recruit attempts that result in a successful hire, and the number of positions that are reposted due to unsuccessful first recruit attempts.

Deobligate all obligations marked for deobligation during the departmentwide OOR, including as much as $168,198 in 29 obligations marked for deobligation as of September 30, 2018.

Review the five identified retained inactive obligations with remaining balances totaling $110,224 and close out and deobligate amounts tied to obligations that are no longer valid or needed.

Deobligate all obligations marked for deobligation during the departmentwide OOR, including as much as $257,102 in 55 administrative obligations marked for deobligation as of September 30, 2017.

Deobligate all obligations marked for deobligation during the departmentwide OOR, including as much as $559,569 in 53 administrative and $641,110 in 9 program obligations marked for deobligation as of September 30, 2017.

Review the seven identified retained inactive obligations with remaining balances totaling $143,344 and close out and deobligate amounts tied to obligations that are no longer valid or needed.