DASH Compliance

I logged on today for the first time in a LONG time and imagine my surprise when there were actually PEOPLE REGISTERED on this blog!  WOW!  What an exciting day for me.

So, I am going to make an effort to post something at least once a month, but please don’t get offended if it takes longer than that.  Habits are hard to break, especially the bad habit of not posting like I should!

This week is the FL SAHMA meeting and I enjoyed a great day at the Occupancy Add-On Class.  It was a small group, but there were some great questions and discussions.  Some attendees were long-timers (note I did NOT say “old-timers”) and there were a few brand new managers.  That always makes for heated conversations.  The biggest question of the day was about verification of disability.  I was reminded (see, I don’t know everything!) that not all communities can use the social security print out as verification of disability (the one mentioned that may affect you are LMSA properties) so it is important to know what type of community you manage and what kind of verifications are required.

Isn’t it good to know that we can ALL learn something no matter how long we’ve been in the business?

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Shame on me for not writing in so long.  I know there is really no excuse except for the excuse that I make up in my mind and that really won’t satisfy you so I will refrain from presenting it.  WHEW.  All that in one breath!

Anyway, in trying to keep abreast of changes in affordable housing and compliance issues as they arise, I wanted to take just a few minutes and address what I think is a major issue!

EIV is HUGELY important. 

Please make sure that as a community you are effectively using EIV and resolving EIV issues as they come up.  I am finding more and more that EIV is a problem during MORs and that the on-site team is not really sure about how to keep up with requirements.  IT IS IMPORTANT and needs to be a priority.  It is part of our daily schedule now whether we like it or not.  If you aren’t comfortable with it or how to decipher what you can and cannot fix, you should talk to a professional.  Not that I want to use this as a way to advertise myself, but there are lot of consultants out there that can help you.  They can review your policies and procedures, help you manage the process, and make sure that you are being as effecient as you can while still addressing those results in EIV that must be dealt with.

I’ve met a lot of people over the last several months that still don’t understand that EIV is not going anywhere and that we absolutely have to get on board or the train is going to leave without us.  During this time that our contract adminstrators are working out their disagreements with HUD, we have a great opportunity to identify any shortcomings that we have with EIV at our community and resolve them.  The last thing you want is an MOR that reveals a policy or procedure that could have been adequately resolved and addressed long before their visit.

I will work on improving my communication with you.  Forgive my long absence and look for future posts coming soon!

I remember when it was considered poor management to use checkstubs as verification of income at an affordable community.  It just wasn’t done. 

The times they are a’ changing…

With the advent of EIV, one of the good things that has evolved is we are now to use checkstubs provided by the resident (if they agree with what’s been reported on EIV, yada yada yada)…BUT, with the use of checkstubs comes many pitfalls.  WATCH OUT for these dangers:

• Get current and consecutive checkstubs always starting with the last one they received.  Make sure there are no gaps in the time periods.  I always write the ending period down on a separate sheet of paper to make sure that I haven’t missed anything.
• Always use 4 – 8.  The handbook mentions 4 -6 in one place and 6 – 8 in another, so I always use 6 to be consistent.  No matter what you choose, make sure you do it for everyone.  (Remember that’s PAY PERIODS, not weeks!)
• Calculate from your copies.  Make your copies of the checkstubs and then try to calculate the income from what you see.  This will immediately alert you if there is a problem with your copy (too light or portions cut off).
• Look for unexpected items.  401k…life insurance…direct deposited into a checking account (and the resident has NO assets).  Do your due diligence and actually review this information and verify when necessary.

Checkstubs are a great thing if you use them correctly!

 Happy calculating.

I know that it has been a long time since I’ve posted anything here and unfortunately, this is not going to be anything related to low income housing.

I just wanted to take a minute and ask that everyone reading this say a prayer for the people in Alabama and the entire Southeast that were affected by this tornado outbreak.  It has been unbelievably devastating…something you think will never happen in your lifetime. 

I also encourage everyone to do more than just pray and actively find something you can do to help.  There are many opportunities and every little bit helps.  We are stonger together than we are apart and your assistance can mean the world to someone.

I saw a site that was just created on Facebook called “Toomers for Tuscaloosa” and it has the big “A” half in Auburn colors and half in Alabama colors and the words “UNITED” across the bottom.  And when I saw that I thought, “that’s what AL is all about.”  We are all united in our humanness…in our traditions…in our faith…at times like these.  My prayer is that we continue to be united as time goes on so that we can provide support and strength to those arounds us whenever it is needed.

 Go online and find out how you can help and please post what you’ve seen or done to help encourage others.