Did New York adequately oversee and promote its home-repair program for veterans with disabilities?
A state audit found New York spent only 36% of $3.3 million in recent veterans home-repair contracts as of October 2025 and blamed weak oversight and outreach. The housing agency says it has since changed its monitoring and reporting.
Claim in dispute
HCR's Office of Community Renewal did not effectively monitor local program administrators or direct outreach to counties with many disabled veterans, and that delayed home-repair funding for veterans with disabilities.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
The Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program pays for emergency repairs, accessibility modifications and code fixes for low- and moderate-income veterans with disabilities. Local governments and nonprofits, called local program administrators, apply to run it and are reimbursed for project costs, generally up to $25,000 per project. The program sits in the Office of Community Renewal at New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).
On July 27, 2026, the State Comptroller released Report 2025-S-10, covering April 2022 through December 2025. It found that 15 contracts worth $3.3 million went to 12 administrators, and that $1.2 million had been spent as of October 2025. Nine of the 12 administrators had started a combined 81 projects in 15 of the state's 62 counties. The audit also found that HCR's monitoring was limited mostly to the start and end of contracts, that 7 of 8 reviewed contract files had missing or incorrect records, and that only two of nine administrators advertised the program as their marketing plans required. Since the program began in 2015, about 31% of the $19.6 million allocated has been spent.
Two of the sampled administrators, Community Development Corporation of Long Island and United Way of Long Island, had not started any projects when auditors reviewed their contracts. Exhibit B lists proposed project counts of 18 and 10 for those contracts, which run to December 31, 2026. A proposed project count is not a count of identified applicants.
The audit report describes the 81 projects as started. The Comptroller's news release describes 81 projects as completed. We have not reconciled the two descriptions.
In a May 4, 2026 response, HCR said it had launched a new monitoring system for its 2025 contracts, with quarterly reporting and stronger first-file reviews. It defended its outreach, saying it emails more than a thousand municipal officials each year. The Comptroller replied that HCR's outreach appeared ineffective. The audit measures the period before those changes. We have not found published figures showing project results under the same contracts since October 2025.
Timeline
3 timeline entries on this page. Dates: May 4, 2026 to July 28, 2026
May 2026
1 event
HCR answers the draft audit
Reaction
HCR's Office of Community Renewal sent the Comptroller a written response. It said a new monitoring system, with quarterly reporting, had launched for its 2025 contracts, and it defended its outreach.
[01]HCR response to draft audit 2025-S-10 (letter from Crystal Loffler, May 4, 2026)
Source excerpt
A new monitoring system has been developed and launched for the 2025 Local Program Administrator ("LPA") contracts.
HCR's written response to the draft audit, printed with the Comptroller's comments in the final report. It answers each of the audit's five recommendations.
HCR response to draft audit 2025-S-10 (letter from Crystal Loffler, May 4, 2026) · New York State Homes and Community RenewalAgency response letter dated May 4, 2026, reproduced in the audit report
84 days between recorded events
July 2026
2 events
Comptroller releases audit 2025-S-10
Source release
The Comptroller released the audit. It reported $1.2 million of $3.3 million spent as of October 2025 and found weak oversight and outreach.
[02]Housing Trust Fund Corporation: Oversight of the Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program (Report 2025-S-10)
Source excerpt
Two LPAs, Community Development Corporation of Long Island (CDCLI) and United Way of Long Island (UWLI), had not yet started any projects at the time of our review.
State audit covering April 2022 through December 2025. It examined 10 sampled contracts at seven local program administrators. Exhibit B lists each sampled contract, its proposed project count and its approved setups as of October 2025.
Housing Trust Fund Corporation: Oversight of the Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program (Report 2025-S-10) · Office of the New York State ComptrollerReport summary and Exhibit B[03]DiNapoli: Audit Finds Administrative Delays with Housing Program for Veterans with Disabilities
Source excerpt
Of the $3.3 million awarded during this three-year audit period, only $1.2 million, or 36%, was spent as of October 2025.
Comptroller news release announcing the audit, with statements from DiNapoli and four legislators. The release says 81 projects were "completed"; the audit report says the nine administrators with activity had "started" 81 projects.
DiNapoli: Audit Finds Administrative Delays with Housing Program for Veterans with Disabilities · Office of the New York State ComptrollerNews release, July 27, 2026Legislators and HCR respond to the audit
Reaction
Assemblymembers Pamela Hunter and Steve Hawley called for changes. HCR told Spectrum News it is committed to honoring veterans and has added a monitoring system and quarterly reporting.
[04]DiNapoli audit finds lack of oversight is hampering housing assistance for disabled veterans
Spectrum News report on the audit. It carries an HCR statement and paraphrases HCR as saying it has added a monitoring system and quarterly reporting.
DiNapoli audit finds lack of oversight is hampering housing assistance for disabled veterans · Spectrum NewsSpectrum News article, published the evening of July 28, 2026[05]Hawley Calls for Improvements to Veterans Housing Program Following State Audit
News release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley responding to the audit.
Hawley Calls for Improvements to Veterans Housing Program Following State AuditAssembly member news release, July 28, 2026
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
HCR's Office of Community Renewal did not effectively monitor local program administrators or direct outreach to counties with many disabled veterans, and that delayed home-repair funding for veterans with disabilities.
Office of the New York State Comptroller
Sources (2)
- Housing Trust Fund Corporation: Oversight of the Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program (Report 2025-S-10) · Office of the New York State ComptrollerReport summary and Exhibit B
- DiNapoli: Audit Finds Administrative Delays with Housing Program for Veterans with Disabilities · Office of the New York State ComptrollerNews release, July 27, 2026
Response record
Responses
Latest recorded positions: 7. Dates: May 4, 2026 to July 28, 2026
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
1 response on this page
New York State Homes and Community RenewalDeputy Commissioner Crystal Loffler, Office of Community Renewal, in the agency's written response to the draft auditDirectly involved "OCR already conducts robust outreach to prospective applicants, including marketing emails to more than a thousand municipal officials each year"
Mixed or conditionalResponding to: HCR's Office of Community Renewal did not effectively monitor local program administrators or direct outreach to counties with many disabled veterans, and that delayed home-repair funding for veterans with disabilities.
Read more
HCR defended its outreach while reporting a new monitoring system and quarterly reporting, and disputed how the audit used its monitoring timelines.
Before the statement
The Comptroller's office sent HCR a draft of the audit, and HCR answered on May 4, 2026.
After the statement
The Comptroller replied that HCR's existing promotion, outreach and marketing strategies appeared ineffective.
HCR response to draft audit 2025-S-10 (letter from Crystal Loffler, May 4, 2026) · New York State Homes and Community RenewalAgency response letter dated May 4, 2026, reproduced in the audit reportWhy this label?
HCR defends its outreach and parts of its monitoring while reporting changes to monitoring. It does not accept every finding, and it does not dispute that spending lagged.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(5)
Original text
Housing Trust Fund Corporation: Oversight of the Access to Home for Heroes/Veterans Program (Report 2025-S-10)
Relevant passage: Report summary and Exhibit B
Excerpt
"Two LPAs, Community Development Corporation of Long Island (CDCLI) and United Way of Long Island (UWLI), had not yet started any projects at the time of our review."
About this source
State audit covering April 2022 through December 2025. It examined 10 sampled contracts at seven local program administrators. Exhibit B lists each sampled contract, its proposed project count and its approved setups as of October 2025.
- Author
- Division of State Government Accountability, Office of the New York State Comptroller
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
Hawley Calls for Improvements to Veterans Housing Program Following State Audit
Relevant passage: Assembly member news release, July 28, 2026
About this source
News release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley responding to the audit.
- Author
- New York State Assembly (Office of Assemblyman Steve Hawley)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
DiNapoli audit finds lack of oversight is hampering housing assistance for disabled veterans
Relevant passage: Spectrum News article, published the evening of July 28, 2026
About this source
Spectrum News report on the audit. It carries an HCR statement and paraphrases HCR as saying it has added a monitoring system and quarterly reporting.
- Author
- Jack Arpey
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
DiNapoli: Audit Finds Administrative Delays with Housing Program for Veterans with Disabilities
Relevant passage: News release, July 27, 2026
Excerpt
"Of the $3.3 million awarded during this three-year audit period, only $1.2 million, or 36%, was spent as of October 2025."
About this source
Comptroller news release announcing the audit, with statements from DiNapoli and four legislators. The release says 81 projects were "completed"; the audit report says the nine administrators with activity had "started" 81 projects.
- Author
- Office of the New York State Comptroller
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
HCR response to draft audit 2025-S-10 (letter from Crystal Loffler, May 4, 2026)
Relevant passage: Agency response letter dated May 4, 2026, reproduced in the audit report
Excerpt
"A new monitoring system has been developed and launched for the 2025 Local Program Administrator ("LPA") contracts."
About this source
HCR's written response to the draft audit, printed with the Comptroller's comments in the final report. It answers each of the audit's five recommendations.
- Author
- Crystal Loffler, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Community Renewal
- Published
- Accessed
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Did New York adequately oversee and promote its home-repair program for veterans with disabilities?
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/new-york-disabled-veterans-home-repair-grants
The Dispute Index. "Did New York adequately oversee and promote its home-repair program for veterans with disabilities?". First published: 2026-10-10. Last updated: 2026-10-10. https://disputeindex.com/cases/new-york-disabled-veterans-home-repair-grants