Regularly Scheduled and Interim Recertification Process

Regularly Scheduled Reexaminations
Program participants must undergo a regularly scheduled reexamination to ensure they are still eligible to receive rental assistance and to make appropriate adjustments to the family's portion of rent to coincide with changes of income. Generally, for households with earned income or other non-fixed income, reexaminations will be conducted every 2 years. For households with only fixed incomes, such as social security (SS, SSI, SSDI), Veterans benefits, pensions, TANF, GA, CAPI, adoption assistance, KIN-GAP, or foster care, reexaminations will be conducted every 3 years. This is only a general timeline and some households may be reviewed every year. Approximately 180 days prior to your regularly scheduled reexamination date, families will be mailed a reexamination packet as well as notification of the date and time of their reexamination interview. The household member must complete all documents in the packet and return them by the specified date or bring them to the appointment. Families will receive thirty days notice of changes in their portion of rent.

Failure to respond to the notice of reexamination or provide the requested documents will result in a thirty-day notification of termination of assistance due to non-compliance with Program requirements.

Interim Reexamination
Program participants must report all changes in income to the Housing Authority within 30 days of when the change occurs. A minimum of 30 days written notice will be given to the family before the effective date of any changes in rent occurring from the income change. However, if the family’s rent portion will decrease, the new rent amount will be effective the first day of the following month in which the change was reported and verified.

Changes in household composition must be reported within 10 days of the occurrence. The family must obtain approval from the Housing Authority and the landlord for all additions to the household.

Any necessary documents or signatures needed from the family in connection with a change of income or family composition must be provided within 10 days from the date of the Housing Authority's request for such documentation. Failure to report changes or provide the requested documentation will result in a 30-day notification of termination of assistance due to non-compliance with program requirements.

Verification and Processing for All Reexaminations
In processing regularly scheduled and interim reexaminations, the Housing Authority will follow one or more of the following HUD-approved methods for obtaining verification of Income:

Enterprise Income Verification (EIV), Up-front Income Verification (UIV); these methods are HUD approved computer-based sources of income verification.
Third party written or verbal verification is used only if EIV/UIV is unclear, unavailable, or in dispute. (Third party is the process of directly contacting the income source either by mail or phone).
Review of documents – use of applicant- or participant-supplied proof of information. Exceptions to accepting applicant- or participant-supplied documents are child care, medical expenses, and full-time student status. Third party verification is used in these exception cases.
Certification/self declaration – written statement of fact by applicant or participant family. This method is used as a last resort only.

Following the results of a regularly scheduled or interim reexamination, families may request an appointment for an explanation of the determination of rent. If after the explanation of determination of rent the family is not in agreement with the change, the family may request a hearing appointment. If legitimate discrepancies are found, they will be corrected. If a correction results in an overpayment of the family’s rent, the new adjustment will be processed retroactive to the effective date in which the error occurred. Corrections resulting in underpayment of family’s rent will require 30 days notice to the tenant of the new rent amount.

The family may request an informal hearing if there is a disagreement as to how the determination of rent was calculated.