Report on the Implementation of the Russian Officer Resettlement Certificate Program
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- Oblast Housing Administrator
- Slide Show Program rules and procedures. Introduction of and Comments from the Bank Representative
- Questions from the Officers. Oblast Housing Administrator
- Original Discharge Order
- Financial Systems Overview Financial Systems Design Objective
- Integration of Administrative and Financial Management
- Goals of the Financial System
- How the System Worked 1. Request for Advance Funds to USAID - Moscow.
- Program Reviewer Approval
- Finance Department Transfer of Funds
- Approval to Disburse Funds
- Local Banks Receive Funds
- Banks Receives Commissions
- Site Report The Russian Officer Resettlement Certificate Program in Belgorod Oblast
C. Officer Registration After officers were notified of their eligibility, and invited to attend the briefing, the following steps were carried out in the process of registering officers for the Housing Certificate Program: Conducting Group Briefings Interviewing Officers Issuing Certificates and Registering Certificates with Banks Meeting with Builders and Real Estate Brokers Only the Group briefing was presented to all officers at the same time. The remainder of events occurred individually or in small groups throughout the day of the briefing. Depending on the number of officers attending the briefing, all five of these steps were completed in one or two days. Each of these steps is discussed below. D. Group Briefings of Officers The group briefing was designed to provide general information about the Housing Certificate Program and to inform all officers of program requirements and choices they must make. At the end of the briefing, a representative of the bank, and prospective sellers and real estate brokers also gave short presentations to the group. 1. During the hour prior to the briefing while the briefing room was being set up, officers signed-in and had their pictures taken. Officers kept their pictures with them until they received their certificate. 2. Members of the Housing Office responsible for the briefing ensured that there was a big enough room and there were enough chairs for the group. Enough interviewers were assigned to complete individual interviews for all officers attending the briefing that day. 3. Briefings lasted approximately one to one and one-quarter hours, with a schedule as follows: Oblast Housing Administrator Welcoming remarks; information about the Oblast/municipalities, such as major industries, employment opportunities, and housing availability; agenda for the day. Representative from Abt. Associates Inc Welcome, program overview, key rules and a brief description of the following: - Who is eligible to participate. - List of tasks each officer must complete. - The roles of the Housing Department, the Seller and the Bank. - The value of the Certificate and how it is determined. - Rules about eligible homes and time limits for completing a purchase. - Things that must happen before the dwelling unit is purchased. - What happens at time of purchase (the "closing"). Slide Show Program rules and procedures. Introduction of and Comments from the Bank Representative Overview of their role in the program. Introduction of Local Builders and Realtors Offering Units for the Program Each offeror described the units they had available and provided the address and phone number where they could be reached. February 8, 1996 7 Questions from the Officers. Oblast Housing Administrator Logistics for the remainder of the day--getting picture taken, registration and eligibility verification, availability of lunch and snacks, buses for viewing available units. 4. The briefing day was usually scheduled as follows: 9:00 - 9:45 - Set up briefing room; greet arriving officers, officers sign in, pictures taken with a Polaroid camera. 10:00 - 11:15 - Briefing 11:30 - 15:00 - Individual interviews lasting up to 20 minutes each; documents and affidavits checked; eligibility verified; registration completed; picture attached to certificate. 11:30 - 15:00 - After verification of eligibility and certificate issuance, each officer brought completed certificate to the bank representative to register the Certificate and provide other required documents to the bank; copies of papers made for officer to keep with him; bank funding letter issued for appropriate size unit with name of officer written in. 11:30 - 15:00 - After registration of Certificate with the bank, officers met with builders to learn about new construction units, and with brokers to learn about existing housing units. Officers then set up schedules to visit units individually or in groups. E. Officer Interviews 1. The purpose of the officer interviews are: - To complete and sign a formal application for the Military Housing Certificate Program. - To collect all documents necessary to verify officer eligibility for the program. - To determine eligibility. - To determine family size and the dwelling size using social norms. - To provide an information package to the officer and review its contents. - To answer questions. - To issue certificates. 2. The interviewer created the officer file with documentation from the Housing Department and the local Military Committee, or from the Ministry of Defense. All files contained an application for housing, an extract from the officer's discharge order, and a document indicating where they lived at the time they applied for municipal housing. February 8, 1996 8 3. The officer completed an Application for Participation in the Military Housing Certificate Program and signed the application. This application form included a statement that officers and their families who are currently residing in Latvia or Estonia will exit the Baltics if they obtain a house under this program. 4. The officer provided properly stamped documentation of the following: a. Copy of Original Discharge Order with appropriate official stamp, indicating date, place and nature of discharge; b. Original Official Russian Passport; c. Official Verification of Family Size and Composition (for all family members that will be living in the home); d. Official Verification of Current Residence in the Baltics (or elsewhere); e. Sworn affidavit stating that... 1. Upon obtaining housing under this program, the officer and his/her family will vacate their present dwelling(s) in the Baltic States and will not seek permanent residency in any of the Baltic Republics, and will from then on enter the Baltic Republics only as foreign guests. 2. (1) The officer will neither own nor will privatize or sell, any dwellings in the Baltics; and (2) has not received, nor will receive, any payments in connection with vacating any dwelling. 3. The officer and his/her family do not currently own housing in Russia. 4. The officer and his/her family have not made any payments to anyone to gain access to this program or to be placed on lists of people entitled to benefit from the program. 5. All information that is required for participation in this program and that is presented either orally or by signed documents, will be accurate, truthful and complete to the best of the officer's ability; with the further understanding that any false information will mean my exclusion from the Program and its benefits. 6. The officer understands that if he/she is found to be eligible to participate in the Program and if all Program terms and conditions are met, he/she will receive financial assistance for the purchase of a housing unit. 7. Officer is participating voluntarily in the Program, and understands that if he/she is currently on a municipal waiting list for housing and does not obtain a dwelling unit under this program, he/she will retain his/her place on the that waiting list. 5. The interviewer then reviewed the documents, determined whether the officer was eligible, and what social housing norm should be used (i.e. number of rooms to which officer and his/her family are entitled). He/she also determined the bank funding values for the three months following the date of Certificate issuance, using a reference table. These determinations were entered on a form to be attached to the officer's file and sent to supervisory staff for approval. 2 See Appendix 3 See Appendix February 8, 1996 9 6. If the officer was found eligible, the interviewer then gave the officer an Information Packet and explained its contents. The Information Packet included the following material: - Sample Presales Agreement. - List of available homes for sale and names of sellers. - List of housing brokers. - "Tips for Success." Advice to the officer on how to find and buy a home. - Guide to Program Procedures 2 - Bank Fact Sheet. Bank name, address and contact person. - Extra copies of two-page program description to provide to sellers. 3 7. Certificates were issued by the supervisor at the end of the officer interview, after eligibility had been verified. If eligibility could not be determined from the documents submitted, issuance was postponed (until the proper documentation was provided) or denied (if there was obvious fraud). The officer then took his/her file to the Housing Office supervisor to be reviewed and approved, so that a certificate could be issued. 8. An Abt Associates Inc. staff was available at each briefing to assist in the determination of eligibility and unit size. F. Certificate Issuance 1. Upon receiving the officer's file from an interviewer, the supervisor reviewed the recommendation for eligibility, dwelling unit size as determined by the standard social housing norms and certificate value prepared by the interviewer. If the supervisor did not agree with the recommendation, he/she then made appropriate changes and reviewed the changes with the interviewer and the officer. 2. The supervisor then prepared one original Certificate for the officer, completing all blanks, signing the back of the officer's photograph and attaching the photograph to the certificate. He/she also recorded the certificate number in the Certificate Log and entered the funding values for new and existing housing. 3. The officer then delivered the Certificate and the Bank Funding Form (along with copies of the other documents) to the bank representative. 4. Upon Issuance of each Certificate, the Housing Department did the following: - Entered Certificate number, officer name, date Certificate issued, dwelling unit size and the bank funding values for the first three months to the Certificate Log. - Transmitted an original of the Certificate Log to the bank at the end of the day of each briefing. February 8, 1996 10 - Put the copy of each officer's Certificate and other documents retained by the Municipality in the officer's file. G. Pricing of Certificates 1. Bank Funding Values were stated in U.S. dollars and did not exceed $25,000. A pricing methodology was developed for calculating Bank Funding values for different unit sizes and types (new or existing). The Oblast gathered required data for new and existing housing and supplied them to Abt Associates Inc., who then gave the calculated funding values to the Municipal Housing Department and the bank. 2. Certificate pricing periods ran from the first day of the month to the last day of the month. 3. When the officer received his/her Certificate, he/she also received a Bank Funding Information Form with values on it for the first month (or partial month) the officer was in the program, plus values for the second and third months for both new construction and existing housing. Each month's value represented the amount the bank would pay if a sales transaction took place in that month. 4. Although the maximum funding value was $ 25,000, the exact certificate value depended upon the cost of housing in the Oblast and the size of the flat the officer was entitled to, based upon Russian social norms. If the certificate value was not enough to pay the price he/she agreed to in the presales agreement, the officer had to be prepared to pay the difference. 5. At the end of each month after the first whole or partial month, the Abt Associates Inc. completed pricing calculations for the next months. These were completed no later than the last working day of each month and no sooner than the 25th calendar day. 6. The amount of funding the bank provided was based on the date of sale, and the Bank Funding document showed the values for only three months for new housing and for existing housing. H. Termination of Certificates 1. If an officer did not returned a signed presales agreement to the bank within one month of Certificate issuance, the Certificate expired. The expiration date was the same day of the month on which the Certificate was issued, one month later. Extensions were granted if the officer requested one. Under such circumstances, the bank would write a letter requesting a first month extension to Abt Associates Inc. The request for extension would then be forwarded to USAID, and the extension would be granted with the approval of USAID. However, the first month extension would still require the officer to complete the sales transaction within four months of the certificate issuance date. Four-Month Termination 2. If an officer was able to execute a presales agreement within one month, he/she had to complete the sale within a four-month period. The four-month date of Certificate expiration was the same day of the month in which the Certificate was issued, four months later. 3. If a failure to purchase the dwelling unit which was under presales agreement was due to the officer's failure to adhere to the agreement, then the officer's certificate would be terminated with a notification letter. If failure to complete sale was due to the seller's failure to adhere to the purchase agreement (e.g. construction delays), then the officer would be granted a certificate extension. The extension would be granted after the bank's request for an extension was approved by USAID. February 8, 1996 11 I. Record Keeping And Program Review 1. Abt Associates Inc. contracted with a program reviewer, PW, to: a) evaluate each officer/seller sales transaction for conformance to program requirements, and b) conduct an overall review of the results of the Housing Certificate Program. 2. The banks were responsible for maintaining records of each officer/seller sales transaction, including use of all funds received from USAID to redeem officer Certificates. February 8, 1996 12 Financial Systems Overview Financial Systems Design Objective The design of the financial systems used to carry out the objectives of the Housing Certificate Program was largely conceived to place ultimate financial risk on the Russian Federation as set forth in the Program Agreement while creating a mechanism to directly provide program funds exactly when the local administrative unit requires it. Integration of Administrative and Financial Management Consideration for financial system design integrated the key responsibilities of the local administrating units which are similar to those identified in the work performed under the Pilot Project by Urban Institute and can be summarized in a few steps: A. Upon issuance of a Housing Certificate, and when the officer presented his/her certificate, the bank opened a case file and issued the officer a bank funding letter, which stated the amount of funding the officer would be entitled to if he/she followed the program's terms and conditions. The banks were made responsible for updating funding values when Abt Associates Inc. announced new values each month. B. The bank reviewed the officer's proposed presales agreement and inspected the unit to determine its condition and its likelihood of being completed on schedule. C. When the unit was ready to be sold, the bank helped the officer prepare for closing and submitted supporting documentation to the program reviewer, who in turn advised the bank whether or not the case had been approved. D. At the closing, the bank disbursed funds to the seller and ensured that all necessary paperwork was properly executed, and that all required fees and taxes were paid by the appropriate parties. E. The bank provided on a weekly basis to Abt Associates Inc. and to the program reviewer, PW the status of all housing voucher certificates processed. The purpose of the Bank Manual was to specify how the bank should conduct each of these tasks. The financial system was designed to coordinate the cash flow while each transaction was simultaneously being processed in accordance with the administrative procedures of the Bank Manual. Goals of the Financial System The goal of the financial system was to ensure that Federal funds remain in any one account for the shortest possible time, however, in the event that Federal funds were not immediately required, the funds remained in an account in the Cambridge headquarters and were transferred only after an approval was received from the program reviewer, PW, that a certificate could be redeemed in a participating Oblast. The initial request for funds was submitted at the conclusion of a briefing where the Oblast and municipal officials distributed certificates. How the System Worked 1. Request for Advance Funds to USAID - Moscow. Abt Moscow submitted an advance request at the conclusion of each briefing. The request specified the name of the officer, Oblast, certificate number and estimated certificate amount. The wire transfers were handled initially via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and than later by Automated Cash Handling (ACH). February 8, 1996 13 Fund advances made through ACH reduced the amount of time of receipt of cash from one month or longer to about two weeks. 2. Program Reviewer Approval The same day that Abt Moscow received an approval from the program reviewer that all documents had been reviewed and approved, the Abt Moscow office requested the Finance Department of Abt Headquarters via fax to transfer funds from the reserve of advance funds in Abt Headquarters to the U.S. correspondent account of Tveruniversalbank. 3. Finance Department Transfer of Funds The transfer of funds from Abt to the U.S. correspondent account of Tveruniversalbank was made in one lump sum usually on the next business day. 4. Bank Transfer Information Provided to Tveruniversalbank In Moscow, Abt faxed a letter to Tveruniversalbank in Tver city stating that it would receive a lump sum in a specified amount and requested Tveruniversalbank to transfer the funds in the amount specified in the letter to the US correspondent accounts of the Russian banks requiring funds. 5. Approval to Disburse Funds Upon receipt of the Program Reviewers approval of a certificate, a fax was prepared usually the same business day, providing the banks with approval that it could disburse a specified amount to a specific individual when it receives the funds from Tveruniversalbank. 6. Local Banks Receive Funds Tveruniversalbank transferred the funds to the banks indicated in our letter to them the same day that it received the funds from the U.S. as well as a complete set of instructions from the Abt Moscow office. 7. Seller Receives Funds The bank disbursed to the seller on behalf of the officer the money agreed upon in the presales contract and sent the seller acknowledgment and its invoice to Abt Moscow. 8. Abt Liquidates Funds Abt submitted a liquidation on SF1034 to USAID of both voucher funds and bank fees accompanied by the seller acknowledgment and the bank invoice. 9. Banks Receives Commissions The banks fees were paid within a week of the receipt of a proper invoice and seller acknowledgments which matched the amount of the approval submitted previously by the program reviewer. Financial System Reporting and Monitoring Advance Request Report Of the three reports integral to the successful monitoring of the program, this report recorded the dates and amount of all advance requests made and received by USAID. Since only sixteen draws were requested, it was designed as a point of reference used to maintain an appropriate reserve for voucher payments while disbursements and liquidations were being processed daily. Disbursement Report As its name indicates, this report was useful in recording disbursements on any given day to the Oblasts as well as the associated approval amount. The report illustrated the progress the Oblast was making in financial terms to meeting its goal in disbursing the program funds allocated to it. The disbursements remained constant once they February 8, 1996 14 had been made even though the approval amount was revised due to certificate cancellations or adjustments in the voucher value. This report measured the credits and debits of our account with each of the participating banks. Liquidation Report This report recorded liquidated vouchers and bank fees and indicated the final step required under the subcontract for the bank. The report registered the project completion rate of the program in each of the Oblasts. 4 For a list of International Standard Banks, see Appendix February 8, 1996 15 Site Report The Russian Officer Resettlement Certificate Program in Belgorod Oblast The Russian Officer Resettlement Certificate program in the Oblast of Belgorod started on January 13, 1995. At the time of the program suspension on May 31, 1995, 279 officers had received certificates. This represents 79.7 percent of the 350 officers who would have been housed under the terms of the MOU which was signed on December 6, 1994. Download 4.9 Kb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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