8001. PREVENTING, DETECTING, AND INVESTIGATING ERRORS AND PROGRAM ABUSE

8001 PREVENTING, DETECTING, AND INVESTIGATING ERRORS AND PROGRAM ABUSE 8001.1 DCHA will use the Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system provided by HUD for preventing errors and program abuse, as available. DCHA will: Provide applicants and residents with form HUD-52675, “Debts Owed to PHAs and Terminations”; and Require all adult members of an applicant or participant family to acknowledge receipt of form HUD-52675 by signing a copy of the form for retention in the family file. 8001.2 To ensure that DCHA’s program is administered effectively and according to the highest ethical and legal standards, DCHA will employ a variety of techniques to ensure that both errors and intentional program abuse are rare, including: Routinely provide resident counseling as part of every reexamination interview in order to clarify any confusion pertaining to program rules and requirements; Encourage staff to review and explain as needed the contents of HUD and DCHA required forms prior to requesting family member signatures; Place a warning statement about the penalties for fraud (as described in 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 1010) on key DCHA forms and form letters that request information from a family member; Provide each applicant and resident with copies of HUD leaflets encouraging compliance with program requirements; Provide each DCHA employee with training on program rules, including income and rent calculation among other areas, and the organization’s standards of conduct and ethics; and Develop and implement quality control procedures for reviewing income and rent determinations, including calculation and verification. 8001.3 For purposes of this Chapter, the term “error” refers to an unintentional error or omission. “Program abuse” or “fraud” refers to a single act or pattern of actions that constitute a false statement, omission, or concealment of a substantial fact, made with the intent to deceive or mislead. 8001.4 DCHA will employ a variety of methods to detect errors and program abuse, including: Use EIV and other non-HUD sources of up-front income verification, when available. This includes third-party verification companies and any other private or public databases available to DCHA; At each reexamination, current information provided by the family may be compared to information provided at the last reexamination to identify inconsistencies and incomplete information; and DCHA will compare family-reported income and expenditures to detect possible unreported income. 8001.5 DCHA will conduct an independent annual audit in compliance with HUD requirements. DCHA will use the results of an independent audit, or HUD monitoring reports, to identify potential program abuses as well as to assess the effectiveness of DCHA’s error detection and abuse prevention efforts. 8001.6 DCHA will encourage staff, residents, and the public to report possible program abuse. 8001.7 DCHA will review all referrals, specific allegations, complaints, and tips from any source including other agencies, companies, and individuals, to determine if they warrant investigation. In order for DCHA to investigate, the allegation must contain at least one independently verifiable item of information, such as the name of an employer or the name of an unauthorized household member. DCHA will investigate when inconsistent or contradictory information is detected through file reviews and the verification process, and may use all available DCHA and public records. 8001.8 DCHA will base its evaluation of investigatory conclusions (that is, the results of DCHA’s investigation) on a preponderance of the evidence collected during its investigation. Preponderance of evidence may not be determined by the number of witnesses, but by the greater weight of all evidence. “Preponderance of the evidence” is defined as evidence which is of greater weight or more convincing than the evidence which is offered in opposition to it; that is, evidence that shows that the fact sought to be proved is more probable than not. Preponderance of evidence may not be determined by the number of witnesses, but by the greater weight of all evidence. For each investigation, DCHA will make a determination of: (1) Whether an error or program abuse has occurred; (2) Whether any amount of money is owed to DCHA; (3) Whether any amount of money is owed to the resident; and (4) What corrective measures or penalties are to be assessed. 8001.9 DCHA may, at its discretion, seek to enforce other corrective actions and penalties if available. 8001.10 In the case of family-caused errors or program abuse, DCHA takes into consideration: The seriousness of the offense and the extent of participation or culpability of individual family members; Any special circumstances surrounding the case; Any mitigating circumstances related to the disability of a family member; and The effects of a particular remedy on family members who were not involved in the offense. 8001.11 DCHA will inform the relevant party in writing of its findings and remedies within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of an investigation. The notice will include: A description of the error or program abuse; The basis on which DCHA determined the error or program abuses; The remedies to be employed; and The family’s right to appeal the results through an informal hearing or grievance hearing. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 73 DCR 007351 (May 15, 2026). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Housing 14 DCMR § 8001