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HUD Announces EIV Data Retention Requirements will change

The following announced today via RHIIP Listserve:

"HUD is in the process of finalizing negotiations with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for retention of the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) employment and income data obtained  from the EIV system.  HHS has agreed to allow retention of the EIV printed reports for the term of tenancy plus three years after termination of tenancy.  With this change, owners and management agents (O/As) will no longer need to worry about destroying the EIV printed reports containing NDNH data in the tenant files when the reports are two years old.  This change will be incorporated in a revision to Notice H2008-3, Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) System."

Compliance frustration: Race and Ethnicity forms

"My compliance frustration is the Race & Ethnicity forms that came with an expiration date so now anyone who completed the form after that date had to complete a new one.

It is hard to explain to our residents the reason this needs to be done, astheir race has not changed. Then a new one came out with a 2011 expiration date followed by the current one with a 4/30/09 expiration date. Of course during a MOR we are dinged for this kind of thing and it looks like those who make up the forms are using something.

Also no one uses the form or looks at it accept for the MOR. The form itself has not changed except the date. Another thing is that residents do not have to complete the form which means that even if the information is used it is not complete. The only place were this is used is on TRACS.  If the resident chooses to not complete the form, TRACS won't accept a non answer. This means we have to judge ourselves what race and ethicity they are."

MARK ALPER'S COMMENT: I want to begin by thanking the writer of the above post.  It is true that by making the racial/ethnicity data certification "optional," HUD has (probably inadvertently) placed property managers in the difficult position this writer expresses so well.

"Name Your (Compliance) Frustration"

It has been quite a while since my last blog posting, for which I apologize. By way of explanation, but not excuse, there hasn't been much "new" coming from HUD in the compliance arena.  

With summer just around the corner, many of you will be taking well-deserved vacations.  This provided the inspiration for a little online "game" that I am calling: "Name Your (Compliance) Frustration."

The "game" is fairly easy: All you need do is write in with the compliance-related issue that most frustrates you...makes you want to pull your hair out....makes you want to go somewhere and have an umbrella drink (with an ACTUAL umbrella in the glass rather than a toothpick with a colored piece of paper intended to resemble an umbrella).

So, go ahead and vent.  You can then enjoy your vacation and not have to give it any further thought.

I'll select the best submissions, keeping your names anonymous, and post them here.  At the appropriate time, I'll call for a vote and the submission with the most amount of votes wins.  

Yes, colleagues, this will be a compliance-oriented version of "American Idol."  You might think that analogy cute, appropriate, or pathetic and sad.  Regardless, let's start the conversation and have some fun with it.