Grant Reconciliation Policy for CDBG-DR Housing Programs
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), specifically the Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation, is responsible for ensuring federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds are distributed in compliance with both state and federal regulations.
If circumstances arise that affect the amount of CDBG-DR funding applicants are entitled to, this may result in a scenario where DCA needs to recoup a portion or all of the grant funding that was previously provided to an applicant.
DCA will notify applicants about recoupment amounts in the coming months with instructions related to hardship exceptions for those who qualify as low- to moderate-income (LMI).
Reasons for Recoupment
The following are recoupment scenarios:
- Funds disbursed to applicants who are later determined to be ineligible;
- Funds disbursed to applicants who subsequently withdraw from the program;
- Funds disbursed to applicants who fail to comply with the full scope of work or cannot validate the proper use of all grant funds;
- Funds disbursed to applicants, but subsequently an applicant receives additional funding from insurance proceeds, FEMA funds, or other payments determined to be a duplication of benefits (“DOB”) under federal requirements;
- Funds disbursed to applicants who were later subjected to foreclosure, death, or bankruptcy; and
- Funds disbursed to applicants, but a final grant reconciliation review determined that the eligible project costs were less than the grant award disbursed.
Recoupment Procedure
Applicants who are required to return CDBG-DR funds may pay immediately in full upon receipt of a recoupment notification. However, if an applicant is unable to immediately repay the full balance, DCA offers a repayment plan under the following terms:
- A repayment period of up to thirty-six (36) months.
- The balance owed will be evenly distributed across the repayment period.
- No interest or fees.
Noncompliance with Repayment Terms
In the event an applicant fails to comply with the repayment schedule, after multiple attempts of contact, DCA may transfer collection efforts to the New Jersey Department of Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) for further collection efforts at 91 days. DORES may employ methods such as wage garnishment, tax refund offsets, and other legally authorized collection actions to recover the outstanding funds.
Exceptions to Recoupment
DCA will not pursue recoupment for applicants who are deceased, property lost to foreclosure, or debts successfully discharged through bankruptcy
Recoupment for Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) Applicants
DCA will not pursue recapture of funds for low- to moderate-income (LMI) applicants that have completed projects, but received additional duplicative federal assistance such as FEMA Individual Assistance, Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage, or Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, after initial funding. This exemption is capped at $27,000.
Applicants who were not qualified as LMI at the time of award, but who have had a change in financial circumstances since grant signing and want to apply for this exception can apply for exemption. To do so, applicants must provide documentation demonstrating their household income is at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income for their county. Details related to this process will be published on the Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation’s webpages prior to the implementation of collection efforts.
To determine if your household is at or below 80 percent of Area Median Income, please refer to the information on the HUD website: .
Final Resolution
Once the debt has been fully paid, determined uncollectible by DORES, or forgiven based on the exception criteria, DCA will contact the county clerk to remove the restrictive land covenant and notify the applicant their account is closed.
Important Note
Applicants involved in fraud or under court-ordered restitution must repay funds and are not eligible for the repayment plan or exceptions. Also, applicants already under a repayment plan that was established prior to the execution of this policy are required to adhere to the terms of that repayment plan unless notified otherwise.
Important Documents
- Grant Reconciliation Policy for CDBG-DR Housing Programs
- PolÃtica de conciliación de fondos de subvención en programas de vivienda del Bloque de Subvenciones para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Recuperación por Desastres (CDBG-DR)
- Grant Reconciliation Policy FAQs
- Actualización de la PolÃtica de Conciliación de Subvenciones Preguntas Frecuentes