2015-08537. 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Voucher Management System (VMS)

AGENCY:

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, PIH, HUD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

DATES:

Comments Due Date: June 15, 2015.

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 [phone] (this is not a toll-free number) or email at [e-mail] 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 [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Arlette Mussington, Office of Policy, Programs and Legislative Initiatives, PIH, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., (L'Enfant Plaza, Room 2206), Washington, DC 20410; telephone [phone], (this is not a toll-free number). Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at [phone]. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Mussington.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice informs the public that HUD is seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in section A.

A. Overview of Information Collection

Title of Information Collection: Voucher Management System (VMS).

OMB Approval Number: Pending OMB Approval.

Type of Request: New.

Form Number: Financial Forms: HUD- 52672, 52681, 52681-B, 52663 and 52673. Originally, the HCV Financials were included in OMB Collection 2577-0169. Regulatory References 982.157 and 982.158. PHAs that administer the HCV program are required to maintain financial reports in accordance with accepted accounting standards in order to permit timely and effective audits. The HUD-52672 (Supporting Data for Annual Contributions Estimates Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program) and 52681 (Voucher for Payment of Annual Contributions and Operating Statement Housing Assistance Payments Program) financial records identify the amount of annual contributions that are received and disbursed by the PHA and are used by PHAs that administer the five-year Mainstream Program, MOD Rehab, and Single Room Occupancy. Form HUD-52663 (Suggested Format for Requisition for Partial Payment of Annual Contributions Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program) provides for PHAs to indicate requested funds and monthly amounts. Form HUD-52673 (Estimate of Total Required Annual Contributions Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program) allows PHAs to estimate their total required annual contributions. The required financial statements are similar to those prepared by any responsible business or organization.

The automated form HUD-52681-B (Voucher for Payment of Annual Contributions and Operating Statement Housing Assistance Payments Program Supplemental Reporting Form) is entered by the PHA into the Voucher Management System (VMS) on a monthly basis during each calendar year to track leasing and HAP expenses by voucher category, as well as data concerning fraud recovery, Family Self-Sufficiency escrow accounts, PHA-held equity, etc. The inclusion, change, and deletion of the fields mentioned below will improve the allocation of funds and allow the PHAs and the Department to realize a more complete picture of the PHAs' resources and program activities, promote financial accountability, and improve the PHAs' ability to provide assistance to as many households as possible while maximizing budgets. In addition, the fields will be crucial to the identification of actual or incipient financial problems that will ultimately affect funding for program participants. The automated form HUD-52681-B is also utilized by the same programs as the manual forms.

Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The Voucher Management System (VMS) supports the information management needs of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program and management functions performed by the Financial Management Center (FMC) and the Financial Management Division (FMD) of the Office of Public and Indian Housing and the Real Estate Assessment Center (PIH-REAC). This system's primary purpose is to provide a central system to monitor and manage the Public Housing Agency (PHAs) use of vouchers and expenditure of program funds, and is the base for budget formulation and budget implementation. The VMS collects PHAs' actual cost data that enables HUD to perform and control cash management activities; the costs reported are the base for quarterly HAP and Fee obligations and advance disbursements in a timely manner, and reconciliations for overages and shortages on a quarterly basis.

Respondents (i.e. affected public): Public Housing Authorities.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,110.

Estimated Number of Responses: 28,960.

Frequency of Response: monthly.

Average Hours per Response: 1.5.

Total Estimated Burdens: 57,540.

Information collection	Number of respondents	Frequency of response	Responses per annum	Burden hour per response	Annual burden hours	Hourly cost per response	Annual cost
Total	3,110	12	28,960	1.5	57,540	$30	$1,726,200

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected parties concerning the collection of information described in section A on the following:

(1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Ways to 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, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to these questions.

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35.

Dated: April 7, 2015.

Merrie Nichols-Dixon,

Deputy Director, Office of Policy, Programs and Legislative Initiatives.