Using the Section 8 VMS Gather Tool to help with your VMS Reporting Lora Carney Section 8 Support/ Programming Liaison Ext

Steps to Setting up the VMS Gather Gathering for A VMS Month Adjustments and How they Affect your VMS Gather Re-gathering a VMS Month for Adjustments VMS Reports

The Voucher Management Systems (VMS) primary purpose is to monitor and manage PHA’s use of vouchers. VMS collects PHA data that enables HUD to fund, obligate and disburse funding in a timely manner based on actual PHA use. Tenmast ’s goal is to provide it’s users with a tool to accurately support the data submitted to VMS.

 Maintain Vouchers  The first thing that needs to take place is a thorough review of your Voucher numbers.  If there are voucher numbers you no longer use, Retire or place on Hold so they are no longer available to be selected.  Make certain all of your Vouchers have a VMS Voucher Type assigned.

Click Edit and Choose VMS Voucher Type

 Section 8 Setup VMS Accounts  Setup GL account lines for expense incurred by the PHA for the Voucher Program which includes. Fraud Recovery FSS Escrow Forfeitures LBP Initial Clearance Tests LBP Risk Assessment FSS Co-ord. Expenses Covered and Not Covered by Grant Administrative Expenses Auditing Expenses

Click on Setup

Click on VMS Accounts

Click the + to add GL Account lines. More than one account line can be chosen for the same description.

You cannot Gather for a VMS Month that you have not closed by Initializing into the new month. The VMS Gather is a Tool to help you validate your data for the VMS month. The Expense gathered for a VMS month will not match your check register and ledger for the same month.

Today is April 19 th. VMS data is due to be reported on the 20 th of each month for the prior month. Users are currently working in the month of April. The VMS reporting month of March is closed. The VMS gather can take place anytime once the month has been closed by initializing into the new month.

The Browse Screen will contain all of the gathers completed in the past. The records contain both the Create User and the Update User and also the date. The Heading contains the standard Tenmast toolbar and contains a Wizard with three options.

Generate VMS is the initial step to gather for the VMS month. Upon Initializing out of a month and into the new month the data is captured for the entire month. Many of your historical reports function from this same data.

 From that Data, for VMS purposes, the program looks for:  All Tenants who have a VMS Voucher Type assigned.  All Tenants who have an Admission Date on or before the first. (with the exception of Disaster Voucher tenants) It Will Exclude:  Tenants who are searching for a unit on the first day of the month.  Tenants who are Marked for Deletion with a Termination date before the first day of the month.

 The HAP Expense is the Total of both the HAP and URP and pulls from the amounts listed on the Rent Calc tab in Section 8 for the Init Month. It excludes FSS expense.  It does not pull from the Check Register.  It is reported to VMS regardless if the HAP/URP was on hold and no expense was actually paid.

Click on Generate VMS

Select VMS Month and Year Mark to Include or Exclude Data Areas Click Start Select VMS Month and Year Mark to Include or Exclude Data Areas Click Start

Click Finish to Confirm

Once you click Finish it will bring the user back to the Browse Screen. From here you are able to access and view the data by double clicking the record or by clicking the edit button.

At the top of the screen, the user has four tabs, the first tab is the Voucher UML/HAP, this contains Vouchers Leased on the First Day of the Month

And if you scroll down, the Other Voucher Reporting Requirements

 All fields under the Vouchers Under Lease on the first day of the month pull directly from the data and are not editable. These fields populate from the init data and are directly tied to the VMS Voucher Type and pull onto the gather based on the Admission Date being on or before the first.  Some fields on the gather do not pull from the data and you are able to edit. Those fields have a yellow shade indicating they are editable.

These amounts do not change regardless If you gather again for the same VMS month.

As Users enter adjustments that affect the VMS month these fields can change upon updating for adjustments.

This tab contains the Memorandum Reporting, Administrative Expenses, And Financial Status. Some of these fields pull from the S8 VMS Setup GL Expense lines but are also modifiable. None of the Financial Status fields pull automatically because they are calculated from multiple accounts.

This screen will contain any Disaster Voucher tenants Administered in your jurisdiction. These tenants are not included in any other category.

This tab now contains the VMS Detail Report that was previously In the Section 8 Reports menu and a newly designed VMS Adjustment Report.

Clicking the Preview Icon will bring up the same Wizard as the Generate VMS.

Then click Start, and then Finish

As the users enter adjustments throughout the month, either from ORC or from Section 8 Tenant and Landlord, those adjustments can potentially affect a prior month’s reporting. This is when the Update VMS Adjustments feature can be used.

When you gather for a new month and any other prior month becomes highlighted, that is an indication to the user that adjustments exist that need to be gathered that affects a prior month’s reporting. When this happens click on the Highlighted Month and then click the Wizard Hat to Gather for VMS Adjustments.

Then Click Start and then Finish.

This will bring you back to the Browse Screen and you will see that the month of January is no longer highlighted. To view the Gather, click the Edit Button or double click the VMS Record.

You can now see that I have adjustments added to the Adjustment Columns for the VMS Types affected.

Click Start and then click Finish

The Report is grouped by VMS Voucher Type Code and then Alphabetically by Tenant name.

If for any reason an adjustment was entered by a user that needs to be excluded from the VMS gather, the user has the option to exclude the adjustment from the gather. This is when the Exclude Adjustments feature can be used.

Click the Start button

Here I can click to exclude any adjustment that I do not wish to include for the VMS month. Choosing to exclude will exclude the adjustment from the report and also the Gather. It is not necessary to Re-gather for Adjustments to see the change.

Click Close and you will be returned to the VMS Browse.