Processing Section 8 Annual Certifications

Processing a Section 8 annual certification involves 5 main steps where you work with 2 wizards:

Access ORC.

Search for and select tenant.

Create annual recertification certification in ORC: Begin Certification Wizard.

Finalize annual recertification certification: Finalize Certification Wizard.

Manually apply ORC changes to Section 8 Tenant & Landlord (if necessary).

Access ORC

Open the Occupancy and Rent Calculation program and select the Section 8 data area you want to work with.

On the Main Menu screen, click TENANT. The Browse Tenants screen appears with all current tenants displayed in a table.

Search For and Select Tenant

Select how you want to order the tenant table from the ordered by drop-down list, enter the search criteria in the search for field and click GO. The first tenant to match the criteria will be highlighted in the table.

Click

on the toolbar. The Main tab of the Tenant Detail screen opens.

Create Annual Reexam Certification

Note: If the tenant has an existing, "Completed" certification with an effective date that is the same or later than the effective date of the certification you want to create, select the certification and click on the toolbar to re-open it. The certification is now “In Process” and able to be deleted. Click on the toolbar to delete the certification you just re-opened.

Select the Certifications tab and click

. The Begin Certification Wizard is initiated.

Note: You can also add certifications by clicking CERTIFICATION on the Main Menu screen. The Browse Certifications screen appears with all your agency’s "In Process" certifications displayed in a table. Click on the toolbar, select to add an Existing Tenant Single Certification, select the tenant for whom you are creating a certification, and then enter the certification information in the Begin Certification Wizard.

Select “2 - Annual Recertification” as the transaction type, specify the effective date (this is the date the rent changes and usually the first day of the month), and check/uncheck the new to unit checkbox, if necessary.

Caution! The effective date will always need changed from the default date provided by the system.

Click START to continue to step 2 of the wizard.

Verify that the unit, landlord, and voucher information is correct.

Click to select a different unit from the Browse Unit Information screen.

Click next to the Unit’s Landlord field to select a different landlord from the Select a Landlord screen.

Click NEXT to continue.

10.

Enter all necessary dates into the available date fields. (The admission date should be the same as the effective date, and the next reexamination date should be one year from the effective date.)

11.

Click NEXT to continue.

12.

If necessary, select the appropriate FMR code and enter the welfare rent, security deposit, payment standard, and utility allowance amounts.

13.

Click NEXT.

14.

Check the checkboxes of the documents you wish to print after creating the certification and click NEXT.

15.

Review and confirm the certification information you have set up, enter any additional tracking notes (such as “Lease Renewal”), and click FINISH to create the certification.

The Certifications tab appears again with the annual reexam certification, with a status of “In Process”, displayed in the table at the top of the screen.

If you selected to print any certification documents, a Print window appears where you can set up your printing job.

Note: Listed on the Certifications tab are the steps needed to officially complete the certification according to your housing authority’s policy. Once you complete each step, select the certification step that you wish to mark complete (or not complete). Click COMPLETE STEP (near the bottom of the Certifications tab), click to check or uncheck the Mark Certification Step Complete checkbox, as needed, and verify or enter the Completion Date. This function marks as completed only the steps of the certification, not the certification itself.

Finalize Annual Reexam Certification

16.

Make sure the certification you just completed is highlighted in the table and click

on the toolbar to finalize the certification. A message will appear stating if errors were found in the eTrans record. If any errors are found, they will display on the eTrans tab and you can review and correct, as necessary. If no errors are found, the Finalize Certification Wizard is initiated.

17.

Review and confirm the certification information/status and click START to continue to step 2 of the wizard.

Note: The Complete All button allows you to mark all uncompleted steps of a certification as completed without processing or marking them individually. It will enter your user name as the “Completed by User” and mark the “Completed On” field with the current date. The information for all previously completed steps will remain unchanged. This function affects only uncompleted steps.

18.

Select the certification documents you want to print after finishing the wizard and click NEXT to access step 3.

19.

Click NEXT through the confirmation step to continue to step 4 of the wizard.

20.

Review and confirm the certification’s details. You may also enter an optional reason for the certification in the space provided.

21.

Click FINISH to finalize the certification. A message appears stating the ORC change will be applied to Section 8 Tenant & Landlord and asks if you have any prorated HAP/URP payments to pay. Click Yes or No.

If you clicked NO, you’ll return to the Certifications tab on the Tenant Detail screen. The status of the certification is now “Completed.” If you selected to print any documents a print window appears where you can set up the parameters for the print job.

If you clicked YES, enter the appropriate prorated rent charges and click OK. You’ll return to the Certifications tab on the Tenant Detail screen. The status of the certification is now “Completed.” If you selected to print any documents a print window appears where you can set up the parameters for the print job.

Manually Apply ORC Changes (if necessary)

If you have the Auto Apply ORC Changes policy in ORC set to “True,” the ORC changes you just made will automatically update in S8 T & L. You will not need to do anything else. If the policy is set to “False,” you must manually apply the ORC changes you just made in the S8 T & L program.

Note: ORC policies can be found in the Setup area of the program: Main Menu screen > Setup > Setup screen > Default Settings tab > Tools icon drop-down list > Maintain Policies.

22.

Select the ORC Changes tab, click

, and select “Apply ORC Tenant Changes.” For certifications with a current or past effective date, the changes will update immediately.

For certifications with an effective date in the future, the changes will update after initialization.

If there is new unit address and landlord information, it displays on the Tenant Data tab.

Any updated To Be Paid amounts are now displayed on the Payment Info tab.

On the Rent Calc tab, any updated URP and HAP amounts are displayed, and the lease issue date matches the effective date for the annual certification you previously completed in ORC.