8862 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices 

104–FY–21–183 (519–0–48), Temporary 

Housing Units (THU) Survey—Phone; 

FEMA Form FF–104–FY–21–196, 

Sample Focus Group Moderator Guide; 

FEMA Form FF–104–FY–21–197, 

Sample One-on-One Interview Guide; 

FEMA Form FF–104–FY–21–198, 

Sample On-line Moderator Guide. 

Abstract: Federal agencies are 

required to survey their customers to 

determine the kind and quality of 

services customers want and their level 

of satisfaction with those services. 

Analysis from the survey is used to 

measure FEMA’s Strategic Plan’s 

objective 3.1 to streamline the disaster 

survivor experience. 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

households; Partners In Service Staff. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

7,296. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

7,296. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 5,227. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Cost: $205,160. 

Estimated Respondents’ Operation 

and Maintenance Costs: $0. 

Estimated Respondents’ Capital and 

Start-Up Costs: $32,256. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to the 

Federal Government: $709,098. 

Comments 

Comments may be submitted as 

indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 

above. Comments are solicited to (a) 

evaluate whether the proposed data 

collection is necessary for the proper 

performance of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) evaluate the 

accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(c) enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) minimize the burden 

of the collection of information on those 

who are to respond, including through 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

Millicent L. Brown, 

Team Lead, Records Management Branch, 

Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, 

Mission Support, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

[FR Doc. 2022–03254 Filed 2–15–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–24–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

FR–6304–N–01] 

Section 8 Housing Assistance 

Payments Program—Annual 

Adjustment Factors, Fiscal Year 2022 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Policy Development and 

Research, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 

Annual Adjustment Factors (AAFs). 

SUMMARY: The United States Housing 

Act of 1937 requires that certain 

assistance contracts signed by owners 

participating in the Department’s 

Section 8 housing assistance payment 

programs provide annual adjustments to 

monthly rentals for units covered by the 

contracts. The AAFs are applied at the 

anniversary of Housing Assistance 

Payment (HAP) contracts for which 

rents are to be adjusted using the AAF 

for those calendar months commencing 

after the effective date of this notice. 

This notice announces the FY2022 

AAFs for adjustment of covered contract 

rents. 

DATES: February 16, 2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact Ryan Jones, Director, 

Management and Operations Division, 

Office of Housing Voucher Programs, 

Office of Public and Indian Housing, 

202–708–1380, for questions relating to 

the Project-Based Certificate and 

Moderate Rehabilitation programs (not 

the Single Room Occupancy program); 

Norman A. Suchar, Director, Office of 

Special Needs Assistance Programs, 

Office of Community Planning and 

Development, 202–402–5015, for 

questions regarding the Single Room 

Occupancy (SRO) Moderate 

Rehabilitation program; Katherine 

Nzive, Director, OAMPO Program 

Administration Office, Office of 

Multifamily Housing, 202–402–3440, for 

questions relating to all other Section 8 

programs; and Adam Bibler, Director, 

Program Parameters and Research 

Division, Office of Policy Development 

and Research, 202–402–6057, for 

technical information regarding the 

development of the schedules for 

specific areas or the methods used for 

calculating the AAFs. The mailing 

address for these individuals is: 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 7th Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20410. Hearing- or 

speech-impaired persons may contact 

the Federal Relay Service at 800–877– 

8339 (TTY). (Other than the ‘‘800’’ TTY 

number, the above-listed telephone 

numbers are not toll free.) 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Tables 

showing AAFs will be available 

electronically from the HUD data 

information page at https://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

aaf.html. 

Background: This notice announces 

FY 2022 AAFs for adjustment of 

contract rents based on a formula using 

residential rent and utility cost changes 

from the most recent annual Bureau of 

Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price 

Index (CPI) survey. AAFs are distinct 

from, and do not apply to the same 

properties as, Operating Cost 

Adjustment Factors (OCAFs). OCAFs 

are annual factors used to adjust rents 

for project-based rental assistance 

contracts issued under Section 8 of the 

United States Housing Act of 1937 and 

renewed under section 515 or section 

524 of the Multifamily Assisted Housing 

Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 

(MAHRA). HUD published OCAFs for 

2022 in the Federal Register on October 

4, 2021 (86 FR 54707). The AAFs are 

also distinct from Renewal Funding 

Inflation Factors which help determine 

renewal funding for public housing 

agencies operating the Housing Choice 

Voucher program. A separate Federal 

Register notice, to be published 

following the passage of FY 2022 HUD 

appropriations, will contain the 2022 

Renewal Funding Inflation Factors. 

I. Applying AAFs to Various Section 8 

Programs 

AAFs established by this notice are 

used to adjust contract rents for units 

assisted in certain Section 8 housing 

assistance payment programs during the 

initial (i.e., pre-renewal) term of the 

HAP contract. There are two categories 

of Section 8 programs that use the 

AAFs: 

Category 1: The Section 8 New 

Construction, Substantial 

Rehabilitation, and Moderate 

Rehabilitation programs; and 

Category 2: The Section 8 Loan 

Management (LM) and Property 

Disposition (PD) programs. 

Each Section 8 program category uses 

the AAFs differently. The specific 

application of the AAFs is determined 

by the law, the HAP contract, and 

appropriate program regulations or 

requirements. 

AAFs are not used in the following 

cases: 

Renewal Rents. AAFs are not used to 

determine renewal rents after expiration 

of the original Section 8 HAP contract 

(either for projects where the Section 8 

HAP contract is renewed under a 

restructuring plan adopted under 24 

CFR part 401; or renewed without 

restructuring under 24 CFR part 402). In 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices 8863 

general, renewal rents are established in 

accordance with the statutory provision 

in MAHRA, as amended, under which 

the HAP is renewed. After renewal, 

annual rent adjustments will be 

provided in accordance with MAHRA. 

Budget-based Rents. AAFs are not 

used for budget-based rent adjustments. 

For projects receiving Section 8 

subsidies under the LM program (24 

CFR part 886, subpart A) and for 

projects receiving Section 8 subsidies 

under the PD program (24 CFR part 886, 

subpart C), contract rents are adjusted, 

at HUD’s option, either by applying the 

AAFs or by budget-based adjustments in 

accordance with 24 CFR 886.112(b) and 

24 CFR 886.312(b). Budget-based 

adjustments are used for most Section 8/ 

202 projects. 

Housing Choice Voucher Program. 

AAFs are not used to adjust rents in the 

Tenant-Based or the Project-Based 

Voucher programs. 

II. Adjustment Procedures 

This section of the notice provides a 

broad description of procedures for 

adjusting the contract rent. Technical 

details and requirements are described 

in HUD notices H 2002–10 (Section 8 

New Construction and Substantial 

Rehabilitation, Loan Management, and 

Property Disposition) and PIH 97–57 

(Moderate Rehabilitation and ProjectBased Certificates). HUD publishes two 

separate AAF Tables, Table 1 and Table 

2. The difference between Table 1 and 

Table 2 is that each AAF in Table 2 is 

0.01 less than the corresponding AAF in 

Table 1. Where an AAF in Table 1 

would otherwise be less than 1.0, it is 

set at 1.0, as required by statute; the 

corresponding AAF in Table 2 will also 

be set at 1.0, as required by statute. 

Because of statutory and structural 

distinctions among the various Section 

8 programs, there are separate rent 

adjustment procedures for the two 

program categories: 

Category 1: Section 8 New 

Construction, Substantial 

Rehabilitation, and Moderate 

Rehabilitation Programs 

In the Section 8 New Construction 

and Substantial Rehabilitation 

programs, the published AAF factor is 

applied to the pre-adjustment contract 

rent. In the Section 8 Moderate 

Rehabilitation program (both the regular 

program and the single room occupancy 

program) the published AAF is applied 

to the pre-adjustment base rent. 

For Category 1 programs, the Table 1 

AAF factor is applied before 

determining comparability (rent 

reasonableness). Comparability applies 

if the pre-adjustment gross rent (preadjustment contract rent plus any 

allowance for tenant-paid utilities) is 

above the published Fair Market Rent 

(FMR). 

If the comparable rent level (plus any 

initial difference) is lower than the 

contract rent as adjusted by application 

of the Table 1 AAF, the comparable rent 

level (plus any initial difference) will be 

the new contract rent. However, the preadjustment contract rent will not be 

decreased by application of 

comparability. 

In all other cases (i.e., unless the 

contract rent is reduced by 

comparability): 

• Table 1 AAF is used for a unit 

occupied by a new family since the last 

annual contract anniversary. 

• Table 2 AAF is used for a unit 

occupied by the same family as at the 

time of the last annual contract 

anniversary. 

Category 2: Section 8 Loan Management 

Program (24 CFR Part 886, Subpart A) 

and Property Disposition Program (24 

CFR Part 886, Subpart C) 

Category 2 programs are not currently 

subject to comparability. Comparability 

will again apply if HUD establishes 

regulations for conducting 

comparability studies under 42 U.S.C. 

1437f(c)(2)(C). 

The applicable AAF is determined as 

follows: 

• Table 1 AAF is used for a unit 

occupied by a new family since the last 

annual contract anniversary. 

• Table 2 AAF is used for a unit 

occupied by the same family as at the 

time of the last annual contract 

anniversary. 

III. When To Use Reduced AAFs (From 

AAF Table 2) 

In accordance with Section 8(c)(2)(A) 

of the United States Housing Act of 

1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(c)(2)(A)), the AAF 

is reduced by 0.01: 

In Section 8 programs, for a unit 

occupied by the same family at the time 

of the last annual rent adjustment (and 

where the rent is not reduced by 

application of comparability (rent 

reasonableness)). 

The law provides that: 

Except for assistance under the certificate 

program, for any unit occupied by the same 

family at the time of the last annual rental 

adjustment, where the assistance contract 

provides for the adjustment of the maximum 

monthly rent by applying an annual 

adjustment factor and where the rent for a 

unit is otherwise eligible for an adjustment 

based on the full amount of the factor, 0.01 

shall be subtracted from the amount of the 

factor, except that the factor shall not be 

reduced to less than 1.0. In the case of 

assistance under the certificate program, 0.01 

shall be subtracted from the amount of the 

annual adjustment factor (except that the 

factor shall not be reduced to less than 1.0), 

and the adjusted rent shall not exceed the 

rent for a comparable unassisted unit of 

similar quality, type and age in the market 

area. 42 U.S.C. 1437f(c)(2)(A). 

Legislative history for this statutory 

provision states that ‘‘the rationale [for 

lower AAFs for non-turnover units is] 

that operating costs are less if tenant 

turnover is less . . . ’’ (see Department 

of Veteran Affairs and Housing and 

Urban Development, and Independent 

Agencies Appropriations for 1995, 

Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the 

Committee on Appropriations 103d 

Cong., 2d Sess. 591 (1994)). The 

Congressional Record also states the 

following: 

Because the cost to owners of turnoverrelated vacancies, maintenance, and 

marketing are lower for long-term stable 

tenants, these tenants are typically charged 

less than recent movers in the unassisted 

market. Since HUD pays the full amount of 

any rent increases for assisted tenants in 

section 8 projects and under the Certificate 

program, HUD should expect to benefit from 

this ‘tenure discount.’ Turnover is lower in 

assisted properties than in the unassisted 

market, so the effect of the current 

inconsistency with market-based rent 

increases is exacerbated. (140 Cong. Rec. 

8659, 8693 (1994)). 

IV. How To Find the AAF 

AAF Table 1 and Table 2 are posted 

on the HUD User website at http://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

aaf.html. There are two numeric 

columns in each AAF table. The first 

column is used to adjust contract rent 

for rental units where the highest cost 

utility is included in the contract rent, 

i.e., where the owner pays for the 

highest cost utility. The second column 

is used where the highest cost utility is 

not included in the contract rent, i.e., 

where the tenant pays for the highest 

cost utility. 

The applicable AAF is selected as 

follows: 

• Determine whether Table 1 or Table 

2 is applicable. In Table 1 or Table 2, 

locate the AAF for the geographic area 

where the contract unit is located. 

• Determine whether the highest cost 

utility is or is not included in contract 

rent for the contract unit. 

• If highest cost utility is included, 

select the AAF from the column for 

‘‘Highest Cost Utility Included.’’ If 

highest cost utility is not included, 

select the AAF from the column for 

‘‘Highest Cost Utility Excluded.’’ 

V. Methodology 

AAFs are rent inflation factors. Two 

types of rent inflation factors are 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1
8864 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices 

1CPI indexes SEHA and SAH2 respectively. 

2The formulas used to produce these factors can 

be found in the Annual Adjustment Factors 

overview and in the FMR documentation at 

www.HUDUSER.gov. 

calculated for AAFs: Gross rent factors 

and shelter rent factors. The gross rent 

factor accounts for inflation in the cost 

of both the rent of the residence and the 

utilities used by the unit; the shelter 

rent factor accounts for the inflation in 

the rent of the residence but does not 

reflect any change in the cost of utilities. 

The gross rent inflation factor is 

designated as ‘‘Highest Cost Utility 

Included’’ and the shelter rent inflation 

factor is designated as ‘‘Highest Cost 

Utility Excluded.’’ 

AAFs are calculated using CPI data on 

‘‘rent of primary residence’’ and ‘‘fuels 

and utilities.’’ 1 The CPI inflation index 

for rent of primary residence measures 

the inflation of all surveyed units 

regardless of whether utilities are 

included in the rent of the unit or not. 

In other words, it measures the inflation 

of the ‘‘contract rent’’ which includes 

units with all utilities included in the 

rent, units with some utilities included 

in the rent, and units with no utilities 

included in the rent. In producing a 

gross rent inflation factor and a shelter 

rent inflation factor, HUD decomposes 

the contract rent CPI inflation factor into 

parts to represent the gross rent change 

and the shelter rent change. This is done 

by applying data from the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey (CEX) on the 

percentage of renters who pay for heat 

(a proxy for the percentage of renters 

who pay shelter rent) and, also, 

American Community Survey (ACS) 

data on the ratio of utilities to rents.2

The BLS does not produce local 

inflation estimates for Puerto Rico. 

Therefore, HUD uses analogous 

estimates from the Puerto Rico 

Department of Labor and Human 

Resources (DTRH), Bureau of Statistics. 

Survey Data Used To Produce AAFs 

The rent inflation factor and fuel and 

utilities inflation factor for each large 

metropolitan area and Census region are 

based, respectively, on changes in the 

CPI index for rent of primary residence 

and the CPI index for fuels and utilities 

from 2019 to 2020. The CEX data used 

to decompose the contract rent inflation 

factor into gross rent and shelter rent 

inflation factors come from a special 

tabulation of 2020 CEX survey data 

produced for HUD. The utility-to-rent 

ratio used to produce AAFs comes from 

2019 ACS median rent and utility costs. 

Geographic Areas 

Beginning with the data collection for 

2018, BLS revised the sample for the 

CPI to be based on Core Based Statistical 

Areas (CBSAs). Previously the sample 

was based on Metropolitan Statistical 

Areas (MSAs) as defined in 1998. In 

addition, the population required to be 

designated a Class A CPI city was 

increased from 1.5 million to 2.5 

million. The following major 

metropolitan areas were eliminated 

under the new sample design: 

Pittsburgh PA, Cincinnati-Hamilton OHKY-IN, Cleveland-Akron OH, 

Milwaukee-Racine WI, Kansas City MOKS, and Portland-Salem OR-WA. With 

the change in metropolitan area 

definitions and the designation of Class 

A cities, the number of CPI cities 

declined from 28 metropolitan areas to 

23 metropolitan areas (Riverside-San 

Bernardino has been split off from the 

Los Angeles survey area). This decline 

has resulted in fewer metropolitan 

component areas receiving local CPI 

adjustments. The 2018 CPI data with 

new metropolitan area definitions was 

first used with the FY 2020 AAFs. This 

change did not impact Puerto Rico 

which applies an island-wide CPI to all 

metropolitan and nonmetropolitan 

areas. 

Each metropolitan area that uses a 

local CPI update factor is listed 

alphabetically in the tables and each 

HUD Metro FMR Area (HMFA) is listed 

alphabetically within its respective 

CBSA. Each AAF applies to a specific 

geographic area and to units of all 

bedroom sizes. AAFs are provided: 

• For metropolitan areas at the MSA 

or HMFA level, and counties that are 

currently designated as 

nonmetropolitan, but are part of the 

metropolitan area defined in the local 

CPI survey. 

• For the four Census Regions (to be 

used for those metropolitan areas that 

are not covered by a CPI metropolitan 

survey, and non-metropolitan areas). 

AAFs use the same Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

metropolitan area definitions, as revised 

by HUD, that are used for the FY 2022 

FMRs. 

Area Definitions 

To make certain that they are using 

the correct AAFs, users should refer to 

the Area Definitions Table section at 

http://www.huduser.gov/portal/ 

datasets/aaf.html. The Area Definitions 

Table lists CPI areas in alphabetical 

order by state, and the associated 

Census region is shown next to each 

state name. Areas whose AAFs are 

determined by local CPI surveys are 

listed first. All metropolitan areas with 

local CPI survey areas have separate 

AAF schedules and are shown with 

their corresponding county definitions 

or as metropolitan counties. In the six 

New England states, the listings are for 

counties or parts of counties as defined 

by towns or cities. The remaining 

counties use the CPI for the Census 

Region and are not separately listed in 

the Area Definitions Table at http://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

aaf.html. 

As a result of the implementation of 

the OMB metropolitan area definitions 

contained in OMB Bulletin—18–04 with 

FY 2022 FMRs, Madison County, VA 

now uses the AAF for the WashingtonArlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 

MSA. 

Puerto Rico uses its own AAFs 

calculated from the inflation estimates 

from the Puerto Rico Department of 

Labor and Human Resources (DTRH), 

Bureau of Statistics, and adjusted by the 

ACS. The Virgin Islands uses the South 

Region AAFs, and the Pacific Islands 

use the West Region AAFs. 

Todd M. Richardson, 

General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy 

Development and Research. 

[FR Doc. 2022–03237 Filed 2–15–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–HQ–NWRS–2021–N210; 

FXRS12630900000–212–FF09R81000; OMB 

Control Number 1018–0102] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; National Wildlife Refuge 

Special Use Permit Applications and 

Reports 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service), are proposing to revise an 

existing collection of information. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before March 

18, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under Review—Open for 

Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. Please provide a copy 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1