Item HA 03 - Update to the Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan

Home Browse Search

Administrative Plan 7/1/2025 Page 16-10 Reasonable Accommodation and Individual Relief Upon request from a family that includes a person with disabilities, the PHA must approve a utility allowance which is higher than the applicable amount on the utility allowance schedule if a higher utility allowance is needed as a reasonable accommodation to make the program accessible and usable by the family member with a disability [24 CFR 982.517(e)]. See Chapter 2 for policies regarding the request and approval of reasonable accommodations. Further, the PHA may grant requests for relief from charges in excess of the utility allowance on reasonable grounds, such as special needs of the elderly, ill, or residents with disabilities, or special factors not within control of the resident, as the PHA deems appropriate. The family must request the higher allowance and provide the PHA with an explanation of the need for the individual relief and information about the amount of additional allowance required [see HCV GB, p. 18-8]. PHAs should develop criteria for granting individual relief and to notify residents about the availability of individual relief, and also to notify participants about the availability of individual relief programs (sometimes referred to as “Medical Baseline discounts”) offered by the local utility company. Policies for granting exception utility allowances can be found in Section 6- III.D. of this plan. Utility Allowance Revisions The PHA must review its schedule of utility allowances each year and must revise the schedule if there has been a change of 10 percent or more in any utility rate since the last time the allowance for that utility was revised [24 CFR 982.517(c)(1)]. The PHA must maintain information supporting its annual review of utility allowance and any revisions made in its utility allowance schedule. EXHIBIT 1