Two things that are true to HUD: 1 - EVERY office needs a certain mixture of skills that is either not available or not respected within their current personnel; 2 - EVERY office pays a ridiculous sum of money to contractors to say the exact same thing that HUD personnel has already described as needed for successful program operation.

Why not marry these two (and include HUD's rotation program) to create an office specifically designed to tackle HUD wide special projects and initiatives.

Currently, the rotation program is trying to fill that void. However, managers will not let their most talented employees apply for rotations because they are either bogged down with office essential projects or necessary to perform program operations as desired.

In addition, there are people on staff who have worked with/competed against the very consulting agencies that we currently employ to handle various tasks that agency personnel have experience performing prior to coming to HUD. Why is their experience in project management and corporate solutions continuously being tossed aside for yet another bloated contract with Deloitte?

In a year where most of us are taking paycuts due to the lack of funds... how about we start looking for internal fixes to our most pressing issues? That starts with a group that is created to do so - a Special Project Office.

End Result: No more paper for credit hours

This idea (1) embraces HUD’s Core Value of Efficiency and Effectiveness; (2) further extends HUD’s goal of webTA to increase the efficiency, accuracy, and accountability of the time and attendance process; and (3) provides more extensive edits at the time of record data entry by the employee (as posted at the link below under Overview).

Currently on HUD’s intranet site for webTA http://hudweb.hud.gov/po/a/dasops/webta/index.cfm under Questions and Answers it identifies the following process regarding credit hours:

(I) Q: What is the approval process for earning credit hours?
A: Employees shall notify their supervisors in advance of their intention to work longer than their regularly scheduled work hours and of the specific date(s) and time(s) they plan to perform such work. The notice must be submitted in advance and documented on form HUD-25018, Notification of Intent to Work Credit Hours. The employee must (orally) identify what work is to be accomplished during the credit hour period.

(II) How are earned credit hours recorded and certified?
A: Employees must record the actual time of all credit hours earned, using the form HUD-25020, Employee record and Certification of Extra Hours of Work, and submit the form to the supervisor for authorization. The supervisor shall provide the signed form HUD-25020 to the employee, for reconciliation with the respective Notification of Intent to Work Credit Hours, and post the authorized credit hours earned on WebTA.

To eliminate the need and cost of submitting paper HUD-25018 and HUD-25020 to the supervisor for signature, which is not even uploaded into webTA, perhaps HUD should utilize and maximize the electronic capabilities of the webTA system.

This is how it can work:
(I) To replace the HUD-25018 form/process - the employee notifies his/her supervisor of their intent of working credit hours by (1) logging into webTA (2) select Leave/Prem | Prem. Pay | New Request | Premium Pay Type = Credit Hours Earned | Input Hours, From, To on days credit hours are intended to be worked | Employees Remarks – should include current credit hour balance and statement similar to ‘This is my intent to work credit hours. I understand that my credit hour balance cannot exceed 24 hours at any given time | Save.
The employee can still identify (orally) to their supervisor what work is to be accomplished or include it in the Employee Remarks section of the request above.

The Request for Credit Hours Earned is approved by Supervisor through webTA.

(II) To replace the HUD-25020 form/process - the employee enters the actual hours worked on the on-line timecard by (1) logging into webTA (2) select T&A Data | Manually type over or delete, as appropriate, actual credit hours earned | Update or Save/Return.

At the end of the pay period the employee is validating their hours (regular hours, leave, holidays and, yes credit hours, etc.) for that pay period. While the system may give a warning about actual credit hours worked may not match the previously submitted/approved request, that warning does not prohibit the employee from validating their time and attendance. By validating the data, the employee is attesting and held accountable to the accuracy of the T&A. The supervisor then reviews and certifies the on-line timecard for it to be forwarded to NFC for processing.

The current application for FAC-COR (GTR/GTM) Certification or Recertification is five pages long and very cumbersome. It is so difficult to follow and read, OCPO just recently had to create a consolidated checklist, page 5 of the application, that the applicant has to repeat all the course information on one page (See Attached document FAC COR OLD ) in attempt to simplify OCPO's review.

While it is OCPO's aspiration for this application process to be automated through the Fedearl Acquisition Institute's FAITAS system by the end of FY13 or sometime in FY14, there is still an opportunity to make changes and improvements to the application in the interim. Attached is a 2 page version of the application capturing all of the information OCPO is seeking in an easy to ready simplified format (See Attached Document FAC COR SUGGESTED NEW).

Or, perhaps to get rid of "paper" altogether, someone in IT could create a similar form through InfoPath.

During the pre-marketing and marketing stages of getting the property ready for listing and the offer stage, the brokers are tasked to perform multiple home inspections. The inspection form is almost standardized between all of the large servicers used by HUD. The brokers use different technologies to perform the inspections and will have to login to the servicer platform and upload the photos, a photo addendum, and inspection form. I would like to propose that the servicers open their platform to allow the back-office technologies used by the brokers to link to the servicer and send that information automatically. The brokers perform thousands of these inspections every week and this could be a savings of thousands of hours that could be fully automated at this time. HUD would be an example for the rest of the large owners who are in a very similar situation and where technology could be linked together. Please, we need these platforms to have open doors to other technologies for automation and savings of huge amounts of unproductive work that can be fully automated.

I believe that HUD PIH should institute a Document Management System (speaking specifically for the PIH program). Each PIH office keeps paper files with documents required to be submitted from each Public Housing Agency. Most of the documents just make up a file. By having a document management system, PHAs could fax in their doucments and they could be indexed by state and Field Office for processing. The documents could be assigned to the appropriate person in the office (PHRS, PM, FM, FA, etc). By implementing this system, more flexibility could be used to assign staff throughout regions and networks. Also, time for processing, misfiled documents, and lost document would be reduced. Processing of documents this way would definitely assist in moving HUD to the 21st Century! The US Department of Agriculture uses a system (called ECM) and implements it among several programs.

HUD should work directly with lenders who are currently servicing FHA Loans. If the Mortgagee has been current without a late payment for at least 24 to 48 months the lender should be able to reduce the interest rate of the loan without having to go through the refinancing process. If the interest rate drops .75 percent from the rate the borrower financed the loan the lender would be able to identify the loan and automatically reduce the interest on the loan .50 percent without the hassles of trying to refinance. The new rate would show up on the next mortgage statement. This would be a benefit to individuals who stayed current with their loans and would be another incentive for individuals to pay their mortgage on time.

HUD had a program that was designed to help struggling homeowners. The Assignment Program was government assistance to homeowners that went into default on their FHA mortgage loans.

Instead of foreclosing on the borrowers, qualified borrowers would be able to stay in their homes and pay their mortgage directly to HUD. HUD would provide temporary relief when needed to further assist the homeowners.

Curently, HUD has a Loan Modification program that should act as a temporary aid for homeowners. However, the Assignment Program was a much broader and effective method for continued homeownership possibilities.

With the Assignment Program, whena mortgagor went into default on his/her mortgage, they would be sent to HUD for an application into the program. If they qualified for the program, their mortgage would be assigned to HUD. HUD would pay off the existing mortgage and become the mortgagee. HUD could then provide the homeowner assistance without incurring any further delinquent interest due to the mortgagee,

Someone previously suggested that a Servicing Mortgagee should be allowed to reduce interest rates to help struggling mortgagors, well that could happen under a HUD controlled environment.

With cuts to authorized travel due to the effects of Sequestration, HUD needs a cost-effective method for staff to still participate in offsite conferences, meetings, and other events. This can be done "vitually".
Rather than sending several people to an event, HUD can leverage its enterprise videoconferencing capability by sending one person to an event to set up a virtual connection.
For example, at this year's Western Lenders Conference, 10 HUD staff from 6 different field offices and HQ are scheduled to be speakers and/or panelists. If HUD sends just one person to the event who is technically proficient and properly equipped, that person can connect to a HUD-scheduled videoconference via VPN using Jabbar (HUD's desktop VTC client). Everyone who is scheduled as an actual participant can thus be connected to the event from any HUD office.
In addition to the significan cost savings with travel expenses, the time saved by each individual would also be greatl.
HUD can start out with one fulltime person to travel and setup videoconferences with several others designated as backup or secondary in order to cover overlapping events or unavailability of the primary.

Think about this. Housing is a hot topic for our economy. How can we marry our military and our economy together to make us a stronger America?

Think about: HUD REO's, 50% discounts and our military. Good Neighbor Next Door. Today, six out of every ten properties require renovation. We have our Military force returning from War with conditions that require property to have renovations done to them. How many properties do you know of that are ready for their needs? Imagine offering the FHA 203k, to our Military, to purchase ANY Foreclosed property with a $500.00 down payment. Work with them regarding the conditions regarding the HAP Program that (may, or may not) be working for them. There is a lot that goes into this proposal, however, I do believe this offering will help our economy, stabilize our neighborhoods, add jobs, and most importantly stand by our Military. Perhaps getting the Department of Veterans Affairs to endorse this program and bridge the gap between agencies. Perhaps the DVA can provide their Certificate of Eligibility?

The HAP Program is administered through the Army Core of Engineers. Another challenge I see in the current market, is that our Military members are not eligible HAP since they do not fit the criteria. Many are forced to move because they have orders but are unable to sell their current homes because of the reduction in values over the last few years. This is especially difficult if their housing allowance changes at their new location to a lesser amount.

The current HAP Program is administered through the Army Corp of Engineers. Currently they have purchased prior to May 2005 and sale it prior to September 2012. Our service members that purchased after that are still victims of the market. Many are forced to hang onto homes they can't afford because of short sale will affect their credit and security clearance. I don't feel that our service members, who are relocated during their service tenure, should suffer negative effects on their credit if the military relocates them. I think the banks should allow a short sale without the negative reporting to credit bureaus if they meet certain requirements. Your thoughts?




Samuel A. Smargissi, Sr
859 Spriggs Court, Ste 101
Arnold, Maryland 21012
Cell: 443-829-4369
Office: 410-975-9325
Fax: 410-975-9324
Web Site: www.hudinsiders.com

"A "Veteran" --whether active duty, discharged, retired or reserve is someone who at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to: "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including his life" - unknown

Re. HUD Transformation, I suggest the combination of the Office of CPD and the Office of PH. They both monitor the same or similar programs (i.e. grant monitoring, Sec. 8, etc.). PH has PHA Plans which tie into the State Consolidated Plan. Disaster's both Offices are involved with disasters, Technical Reviews, both offices have very similar checklists, etc. Low-Income housing, AID's, Lead Based Paint, Environmentals, etc. The staffs could combine under one roof and have a complete understanding of all aspects of city, county, state & Federal Government relationship and involvement. Please look into this consolidation to see if it would be a viable alternative. Thank You.

HUD Staff spend alot of time doing research and designing tools to do their jobs. The NSP Team (at HQ) designed a resource exchange that has evolved into a larger one. It's a good example of how employees doing similar activities across the country came together to help each other. While the NSP was in full force, the team had weekly/monthly forums and knew each other by name.

By necessity, a group of Financial Analysts in the Southeast created a quarterly conference call to discuss like roles, duties and protocols. This has evolved into a group that has grown by word of mouth to 32 and now occurs monthly.

If we had access to the list of all Financial Analysts in CPD, we could make this forum more effective. A contact list like this for every type of position, either formally or informally would reduce the amount of time and research necessary.

Our discussions lead to efficiencies; consistency across field offices on how to respond to audit inquiries, how to complete quarterly SF425s and what to do with them, how to read IDIS reports and what should be reviewed, etc...

This process/design and contact information could be duplicated across all program areas, whether CPD Representatives, Program Assistants, FHEO, etc... to update each other and secure best practices.

There is something special about working for HUD. It shows up in our mission statement: “to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.” Few other government departments or agencies work to create something. Most others regulate or protect; we build, repair and offer hope. It also shows up in our co-worker’s charitable work with Feds Feed Families and Combined Federal Campaign.

HUD has trained, developed and provided motivation for thousands of employees over the years, with many leaving early to help the public navigate HUD systems or work with HUD partners in continuing HUD’s mission. Many have been brought in by different Administrations, where they can see from the inside how HUD works.

HUD also has a huge cadre of employees that have recently retired or are eligible for retirement. Some will hang on with HUD looking to continue the mission, but also at the expense of HUD’s budget. Other’s will leave, but will find that their desire to contribute hasn’t waned, but not at 40 hours a week.

The seed I would like to plant is developing an Alumni Association, hence the working title of HUD Renew. The mission statement would simply mirror the Departments.

Although ex-HUD staff are free to find charitable or job opportunities and many have, a focused group can leverage their knowledge skills and abilities to become something bigger. Possibilities are numerous:
• A clearing house for opportunities (Habitat for Humanity builds, worldwide)
• Finding sponsors/negotiated travel discounts for those opportunities
• A think tank for ideas
• Lobbying
• Support for newly retired
• A social network
• Fund raising
• Low cost navigation of HUD programs to those in communities that need it
• Link to Current HUD programs - Newsletter

Previous Division, grade or years of service will not have any bearing. Continuing of the mission will be the only goal. An SES maybe pounding nails in the future next to an employee formally in their line of authority, but whom they had never gotten to know.

Of course there are a host of ethics issues too, so if the seed germinates, it has to grow outside of HUD. But being free of government rules can also allow growth.

There are many children in the Low Rent Program PHAs who may be neglected due to lack of programs, lack of transportation and/or resources from doing well at school. In the summer, many PHAs use local resources or organizations that volunteer. Unfortunately, most volunteer organizations are Bible Vacation groups not education enhancing groups.
If HUD were to collaborate with the Dept of Education (DOE), as it has done with the VA for the VASH program, and provide an Education Coordinator for every 50 plus students or so to serve as a case worker/coach for the students, it would definitely help to improve the educational productivity of each student.
I am an avid admirer of Marva Collins' and her accomplishment in Chicago. This may be tested out as pilot programs in key PHAs and once all kinks are ironed out, it may be implemented nationally.

Believing a healthy body primes us all for the best, more efficient, effective life-style and reduces costs associated with unhealthy bodies and minds, it is time HUD soldiers in the fight to improve the lives of our citizens, begin a supported investment in improving their health through teamwork. Each office within a Region can establish a team (Team OGC, CPD, etc.), they will get a base-line fitness work-up, have an official HUD weigh-in and record keeper, and after 90-days, (1) the Team that loses the moset weight gets bragging rights; lunch; and each member of the team gets two days off; the individual that loses the most weight in the competition gets three days off; and the individual whose #'s improved the most (not including weight, so cholesterol, blood pressure) gets one day off.

When a lender closes a loan and sets up a repair escrow. We give the lender the sole responsibility to update FHA connection with the completion and close out of that escrow account. Borrowers who try to refinance their current FHA loan often can’t because the original lender never completed the close out in FHA connection. In many cases the loan has been sold to a new investor or is currently being serviced by another mortgage company. The borrower is unable to move forward until the initial originating company is contacted and harassed enough to update our system. I’m sure there are hundreds if not thousands of lenders who are non-compliant. With no repercussion in place many lenders just simply opt out of this portion of the process. Something as simple as a $25 fine for the system not being updated after 6 months or $50 at the 1 year mark, which is ample time to accommodate for most of the repairs we allow in escrow. Would generate immense revenue for the department. This nominal fee would definitely generate an initial windfall from lenders already in the pipeline. Just a thought!