Rental Assistance Program Strengthened

Assistant Secretary for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., signs interagency agreement with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary Orlando Cabrera (left) to ensure more effective rental housing programs for children and families across the nation.

The agreement minimizes improper subsidy payments so assistance for rental housing goes to those who need it.

"Not only does this agreement aim to reduce fraud, but it will build greater capacity to serve vulnerable families," Horn said. "Today's announcement will enable HUD to work the cases more effectively, discovering with greater precision which families are most in need of help."

Under the agreement, HHS will provide HUD access to its National Directory of New Hires database. The database enables HUD to match HHS employment information with HUD public housing participants on a quarterly basis. The match will enable HUD to identify erroneous payments and direct funds to those in need.

"The partnership between HUD and HHS plays a vital role in ensuring that HUD serves as many eligible families as possible," Cabrera said. "HUD's objective in this partnership is to ensure families who are truly in need get help."

In 2002, President Bush signed into law the Improper Payments Information Act requiring all federal agencies to estimate improper payments and implement strategies to reduce erroneous payments in their activities and programs. On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed into law section 217 of Division G of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 which authorized HUD to have access to the National Directory of New Hires.

 

 

 

 

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