All invoices should be mailed, or hand carried,
directly to H & CD Accounting. Please do not send
your invoice to your Project Leader, or put your Project
Leader’s name on the outside of your envelope, as
this will delay your payment. Mail your payments to:
Housing and Community Development
Attention: Accounting
1770 N. Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92706-2680
*** NEW *** Your claim for reimbursement and the
supporting documentation you submit is optically scanned.
After a few months, the paper copies are thrown out
and only the optically scanned image is retained in
the County’s computer system. Please comply with the
following rules for scanning documents:
Use only one staple, brad, or black clip per
claim. The one staple, brad, or black clip must
hold all the documents together. Two sheets in
the middle of a claim cannot be stapled together.
Any documents taped to a sheet of paper must
be completely taped at the top and bottom so the
edge does not catch when going through the scanner.
All claims and supporting documentation must
be on white paper. Colored paper does not scan
well.
The scanner does not scan the backside of sheets
of paper. All documentation must be only on the
frontside of a sheet of paper.
The executed, Board of Supervisors approved contract
is the authorization on all aspects of payment including
the maximum amount to be paid, the payee, and the
scope of services. Payments are made in strict accordance
with contract terms.
Contracts specify that you will be reimbursed for
eligible project costs. You must first pay a cost
before receiving reimbursement for it, and be able
to substantiate your payment.
Reimbursement is made for eligible costs incurred
during the contract period. As long as the materials
were acquired, or services provided, during the contract
period, the payment can be made by you after the contract
period.
Funds are not paid for any costs incurred prior
to the certification of environmental compliance.
The total of all payments cannot exceed the amount
of the contract.
Only those eligible project expenses identified
in the Subrecipient Scope of Services section of the
contract will be reimbursed.
Adequate documentation to substantiate your claim
is described in the H & CD Policy on Documenting
Subrecipient Costs. If you have trouble providing
the required documentation, please call us, and we
will try to work out some other reasonable alternative.
A properly completed GPR form must accompany ALL
requests for reimbursement. We will not make a payment
without a GPR form.
If your contract permits it, compensation for costs
incurred during the life of the contract may be reallocated
between existing line items in the budget.
If your contract permits it, upon your written
request and written approval by the Director, compensation
may be reallocated to address any costs incurred for
previously unbudgeted uses.
If your contract requires your matching contribution
to the funding of the project, you must submit documentation
substantiating your match along with your request
for reimbursement.
Your request for reimbursement must be in the form
of an invoice or demand letter stating the contract
number, contract name, amount requested, and must
have an original signature of an authorized signer
for your organization. Your invoice must be addressed
to the County of Orange or the Housing and Community
Development Department.
Invoices or demand letters must contain the following
certification: "I certify under penalty of perjury
that this claim is true and correct and that the requested
payments have been made. I also certify that this
claim agrees with our official payroll and financial
records and that these amounts have not been, or will
not be claimed from any other funding source."
If the supporting documentation does not adequately
substantiate your claim, you will be contacted by
Accounting staff to explain the documentation or to
submit additional documentation. If you do not provide
requested documentation in a timely manner, your invoice
will be reduced for the amount in question and you
will be paid a lesser amount. A Debit Memo enclosed
with your check will explain any reductions from the
original amount requested.
If you are contacted and requested to provide adequate
supporting documentation, please do not assume your
original documentation was lost and resubmit the same
documents a second time. Such a request means there
is a problem with your original documentation. Please
contact us if you are unsure about what we are requesting.
The H & CD Director, Manager, or Project Leader
cannot authorize actions that conflict with contract
requirements, or are not specifically allowed by the
contract or Board of Supervisors action.
If your contract contains a section titled Conditions
Precedent to the Disbursement of Funds, all such requirements
must be satisfied and possibly documented, before
your claim is paid.
As noted in your contract, funds must be available
before your claim can be paid. If HUD has placed a
hold on the release of funds for your project, your
claim will not be paid until the hold is released.
POLICY FOR DOCUMENTING SUBRECIPIENT
COSTS
If you use a professional payroll service, salaries
can be documented by submitting two copies of a payroll
register. The payroll register should contain your
organization’s name, the employee’s name, period worked,
gross pay, deductions, and check number.
If you do not use a professional payroll service,
salaries can be documented by submitting two copies
of a payroll worksheet showing employee’s name, period
worked, gross pay, and deductions. You must also submit
two copies of the front of the employee’s paycheck.
Services and supplies can be documented by submitting
two copies of a dated invoice from the vendor/contractor,
or a dated receipt for the services or supplies. Receipts
must contain a description of the services or supplies
obtained. Receipts only containing the description
"Merchandise" will not be reimbursed. You
must also submit two copies of the front side of the
check to the vendor/contractor documenting your payment.
A handwritten note from your organization with a
dollar amount written on it is not sufficient documentation.
If anything about the submitted documentation is
inappropriate, or makes us question its propriety,
we will request clarification or additional documentation.
Copies of receipts or invoices submitted, as supporting
documentation must be dated to determine if the services
or supplies were provided during the contract period.
The receipt or invoice should include your name, project/job
address, and what work or service was provided.
Invoices from your suppliers, vendors, or subcontractors
must be addressed to you, not a contractor working
for you.
You must submit a Check Summary Form for payment
requests containing multiple checks issued to employees
or vendors. This form is needed to ensure that we
can quickly verify that you did not submit the same
invoice or receipt for reimbursement in a previous
request for payment and will speed up the processing
of your claims and the claims of others.
Copies of supporting documentation must be legible.
If you cannot read a poor copy, we cannot either.
You will not be reimbursed for an invoice that only
shows "previous balance" as a description
of the services provided. You must submit the original
invoice containing a description of the goods or services
acquired.
A Board member or staff person for a non-profit
can purchase something for the non-profit using their
personal credit card. To be reimbursed, the non-profit
must submit two copies of their reimbursement check
to the Board member or staff person and two copies
of the receipt detailing what was purchased on the
credit card.
ACCOUNTING NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS
Bill Castro, Accounting Manager, (714)
480-2848
Vivian Canton, Senior Accountant, (714) 480-2846
Grace Raya, Accounting Technician, (714) 480-2912
CDBG (KC)
HOME (KM)
ESG (KE)
Redevelopment (KD)
Shri Makhija, Accounting Technician, (714) 480-2914
Supportive Housing Program (KN)
Housing Supportive Services (KH)
General Fund (KG)
Homeless Prevention centrally
coordinates the preservation and expansion of the County’s
Continuum of Care System for the homeless which focuses
on homeless prevention, outreach and assessment, emergency
shelter, transitional housing, supportive services, and
permanent supportive housing..
Legal