Client Management System Guidance

Overview

All Housing Counseling Agencies (HCAs) participating in HUD's Housing Counseling Program are required to use a Client Management System (CMS) that interfaces with HUD's Housing Counseling System (HCS). A CMS is a commercial or self-developed online Housing Counseling application that automates much of the housing counseling process, including client intake, file maintenance, financial and credit analysis, outreach, client notification, and reporting. Automated data transfer from each agency’s CMS to HUD’s HCS replaces manual input process.

HCAs have the option to either acquire an existing commercial CMS listed on HUD’s website that are already compliant and connected to HCS or develop their own. A CMS must be compliant allowing requiring data to transfer to HCS before an agency is allowed to participate in HUD’s Housing Counseling program. It is the HCAs’ responsibility to utilize an accepted CMS that is in compliance with HUD’s standard. HUD recognizes that many HCAs have multiple CMS applications for various sponsors. To minimize these multiple redundant applications, HUD recommends HCAs to acquire using a single CMS that can provide multiple reporting requirements instead of having multiple CMSs for each requirement.

It is important, that HCAs continue to access HCS to check and validate their inputted data a minimum of every 90 days. In addition, there are some unique data elements that HCAs have to input in HCS manually that are not available in CMS.

CMS Benefits

• Effectiveness: By automating client intake and financial analysis, CMS use will standardize and improve the quality of housing counseling provided by HCAs.
   
• Record Keeping Efficiency: Record keeping will be greatly simplified for HCAs by the automated intake and file creation possible through CMS use. Counselors simply create and update client files through the CMS as counseling occurs, saving time and space.
   
• Simplified Reporting: CMS use and the creation of electronic files will automate reporting, minimizing the time burden associated with data collection and submission, and improving the quality of the data submitted. Electronic files make possible the submission of required data fields at the touch of a button. HCAs will no longer have to report manually through HUD’s HCS.
   
• Remote Monitoring: Electronic files will reduce the cost to HUD, and also reduce the monitoring burden on the HCAs. Electronic files will allow for desk reviews, minimizing the need for HUD staff to travel as frequently to visit HCAs on-site to fulfill monitoring requirements. Currently, HUD staff travel biennially to the counseling agency to sample files, among other activities.
   
• Improved Data: CMS use greatly expands and improves the quality and types of data available to HUD without increasing the reporting burden for HCAs. Counselors simply create and update client files through the CMS and required client level data is submitted to HUD. The lack of client-level data has long been a barrier to effective program evaluation and performance measurement. The aggregate data collected historically lacks sufficient detail to permit analysis of counseling results by subgroups or demographic characteristics. Client level data represents a fundamental improvement in the quality of data available to program managers and evaluators, allowing for new and improved performance goals, enhanced agency monitoring, and more effective targeting of outreach, training and other resources.
   
• Impact of Counseling: Client level data will also allow HUD researchers to track and document the long-term impact of counseling on households. This data will help HUD justify program appropriations.

Reporting Requirements

All participating HCAs will be responsible for ensuring that required data fields identified in Interface Control Document (ICD) are transmitted correctly and within stated deadlines via a HUD-compliant CMS. HCA should have a CMS product that satisfies the latest version as posted on this website. HCA will still have access to HCS as read-only rights to check transmitted data for accuracy and validation. HCAs can refer to the Data Requirements from the link in the HUD Resources box.

HCAs should submit their agency updates as soon as their CMS product is on line with HUD and anytime changes are made to their agency profile data. HCAs will prepare to submit their consolidated client and HUD-9902 reports for each required quarterly reporting period for each fiscal year. HCAs are still required to check HCS after CMS transmissions to validate the data is accurate. Any discrepancies discover should be corrected on their CMS and retransmitted. Corrections should not be made directly in HCS as the discrepancy will only reappear in the next transmission.

Sensitive Information

HUD is taking every precaution regarding the electronic transfer of client level data, including firewall protection, encryptions, and access security. This HCS Agency Reporting Module (ARM) disclosure statement provides language regarding the confidentiality of client-level data. HCAs must get assurances from their CMS vendors of protecting client data

Choosing a CMS

Counseling agencies are encouraged to learn about, and choose from, HUD's list of CMS compliant vendors that are working towards compliance with HUD's new requirements. Only CMS products appearing on this list have been certified to interface with HUD's databases to submit required agency and client level data. Counseling agencies should contact these vendors to learn more about individual products to determine which CMS best satisfies their business practices. The list is not in any priority order, and HUD does not endorse any individual CMS product. As new CMS products become compliant to HUD's requirements, they will be added to the list. All CMS products must be compliant to the latest version as soon as possible. It is acceptable to be compliant with the lower version for a short period of time as the CMS product is in the process of being upgraded. Starting with fiscal year 2015 reporting HCS/ARM will only accept the latest version – ARM 5.0.

Making a CMS HUD-Compliant

All CMS developers both commercial products and self-developed CMS products should refer to the guide and resources provided on this website to make their CMS compliant with HUD’s requirements. CMS technicians should refer to the Interface Control Document (ICD), which provides technical guidance on how the CMS should be configured to interface with HCS properly, and the following list of requirements a CMS must meet in order to be HUD-compliant:

• Captures all mandatory data elements listed in ICD for one or more unique types of counseling and education
   
• Provides access to a loan product comparison tool that interfaces with client data captured by the CMS, and includes FHA insured mortgage products as a loan product option. This requirement relates only to CMSs that cover counseling/education involving home buying or homeownership (i.e.: loans)
   
• Provides access to tools/calculators to analyze financial and credit information
   
• Includes a text field in which counselors can input the counselor log and client action plan
   
• Allows HUD limited access, in coordination with HCAs, to access entire electronic client files for the purpose of conducting agency monitoring
   
• Certifies to HUD that it will not disclose any client level data or agency profile information to any person or entity outside of HUD unless directed to do so by the counseling recipient, or in the case of agency data, by the counseling agency
   
• Provide default values to required data elements that not available at transmission or is not applicable to the agency’s services
   
• During ARM version upgrades all CMS must convert to the latest version to be current. Starting with fiscal year 2015 reporting HCS/ARM will only accept the latest version – ARM 5.0 Subsequent updates will allow for ARM versions 5.0 or later to continue to be accepted for a short period of time to allow CMS time to convert

Technical Assistance and Help Desk

HUD requires that all CMS developers coordinate with the HUD Project Manager to be listed in the program, and arrange testing their product. Procedures on contacting technical assistance will be provided.

HUD does not have resources available to provide one-on-one technical tutorial assistance and urges developers to use the resources provided on this web site precisely as given and to cooperate with each other to resolve issues. To help facilitate conforming to HUD's requirements, a Software Development Kit (SDK) is provided. CMS using either JAVA or .NET can use the self-test in the SDK prior to testing on HUD's system. After CMS test successfully, the CMS will be given instructions to allow their system to transmit agency data directly to HUD's Housing Counseling System (HCS).

Request for HUD technical assistance can only be obtain by submitting a ‘Trouble Ticket’ to the HUD’s Help Desk and an ARM technician will contact the agency within 48 hours.

The Help Desk contact information is: (888) 297-8689 or (202) 708-3300; option 9.

Tell the Help Desk specialist that you need assistance with application: ARM (F11M) - Agency Reporting Module.

Provide the following information:

• Your name
• Phone number
• E-mail address
• Name of your Client Management System (CMS)
• Login ID - If you do not have Login ID, or it is not registered with the HUD National Help Desk, they will use "HCS-ARM Customer" as the general contact record
• Brief description of the issue
• Please ensure that the ticket is routed to the "HSGN - HCS - ARM" group

Help Desk hours are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.

ARM Release Notes

ARM V14.11.5.0 Release Notes – July 12, 2017

ARM V14.8.6.0 Release Notes - November 10, 2016

ARM V14.8.5.0 Release Notes - October 17, 2016

ARM V14.7.5.0 Release Notes - March 1, 2016

Information on HUD Submission Requirements

HUD has developed a new 9902 form that will be in use starting with the first quarter Fiscal Year 2015 reporting. The HSC/ARM support team has implemented these changes in ARM5. Submissions using previous versions of ARM will no longer be accepted starting with the FY 2015 first quarter reporting. Updated documentation for ARM5 is below. Please direct any questions to housing.counseling@hud.gov.

CMS Information

• ARM 5.0 Interface Control Document - June 23, 2017
• ARM SDK v1.48 - September 28, 2016
• ARM 5 Schema Change Log - November 5, 2014
• Quick Interface Setup Reference Guide - December 4, 2014
• HUD-9902 Form and Instructions
• HUD-9902 Desk Guide
• Find Rural Area Eligibility Manual Lookup: USDA Income and Property Eligibility Website
• Find Rural Area Eligibility USDA API: Eligibility - Service Description Document
• Income Level Data Sets: HUD Publishes Fiscal Year AMI Datasets Annually
• Highlight of CMS Changes Anticipated for FY 2015: Initial View of the CMS Changes That Will Be Coming for FY 2015
• FAQs

Webinar Material

• Reporting Tips for HUD-9902 Webinar Slides - September 25, 2015
• New HUD 9902 and Client Data Requirements Starting FY 2015 Webinar Slides - March 5, 2014 and March 18, 2014
• A First Look at the New 9902 Webinar Slides - January 30, 2014

Developer Meeting Notes

• May 27, 2015
• September 23, 2014
• September 3, 2014
• July 29, 2014
• July 11, 2014
• June 24, 2014

Developer Announcements

• September 30, 2017 - HUD CMS Developer Notice: Fiscal Year 2018 Reference Now Available
   
• September 26, 2017 - HUD CMS Developer Notice: Fiscal Year 2018 Reference and Database Software Upgrade
   
• July 25, 2017 - HUD CMS Developer Notice: Production Maintenance July 25, 2017 11 PM
   
• July 14, 2017 - HUD CMS Developer Notice: New Activity Type Reference Values Published for FY 2017 Comprehensive Grant
   
• June 22, 2017 - HUD CMS Developer Notice: ARM Version 14.11.5.0, NOFA 2017 Grant Reference Values, and ARM Pilot Maintenance Window