Disaster Assistance Loans
High-priority program
Program level Payment Integrity results
Sponsoring agency: Small Business Administration
View on Federal Program InventoryPROGRAM METRICS
$3,224 M
in FY 2025 outlays, with a
95.1%
payment accuracy rate
-
Improper payment estimates over time
View as:
Chart toggle amounts:Proper paymentsOverpaymentUnderpaymentTechnically improperUnknown
Payment Integrity results
-
FY 2025 improper payment estimates
Chart legend and breakdown
Payment accuracy rate
Improper payment rate
Unknown payment rate
Sampling & estimation methodology details
Sampling timeframe:
04/2024 - 03/2025
Confidence interval:
95% to <100%
Margin of error:
+/-3.0
Causes
| Overpayment root cause | Overpayment amount |
|---|---|
| Amount of overpayments within the agency's control | $125.08 M |
| Amount of overpayments outside the agency's control | $0.0 M |
| Amount of overpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist | $0.0 M |
| Amount of overpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment | $0.0 M |
| Amount of overpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment | $125.08 M |
| Underpayment root cause | Underpayment amount |
|---|---|
| Amount of underpayments | $31.94 M |
| The amount of underpayments that occurred because the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment does not exist | $0.0 M |
| The amount of underpayments that occurred because of an inability to access the data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment | $0.0 M |
| The amount of underpayments that occurred because of a failure to access data/information needed to validate payment accuracy prior to making a payment | $31.94 M |
| The amount of improper payments that were paid to the right recipient for the correct amount but were considered technically improper because of failure to follow statute or regulation | $0.0 M |
| The amount that could either be proper or improper but the agency is unable to determine whether it was proper or improper as a result of insufficient or lack of documentation | $0.0 M |
Prevention
In response, the agency implemented a corrective action in February 2025 that provided disaster survivors the option to either complete the loan closing independently or explicitly authorize the Agency to complete the closing on their behalf. This change ensured compliance with regulatory requirements governing fee authority while maintaining borrower flexibility and operational efficiency. The corrective action directly mitigated the identified root cause by eliminating unauthorized fee activity during the loan closing process.
In addition, the agency initiated updates to the governing Standard Operating Procedure for the Disaster Assistance Loan Program to clarify closing authority, fee requirements, and documentation standards associated with ULP processing. Targeted training and internal feedback were provided to staff to reinforce regulatory requirements and ensure consistent application of the revised closing procedures. These actions were implemented during FY 2025 and are expected to be fully institutionalized through updated procedures and training by the end of FY 2025.
Collectively, these corrective actions address the specific regulatory gap that caused the improper payments, reduce the likelihood of recurrence, and strengthen internal controls without imposing unnecessary additional burden on disaster survivors or staff.
Corrective actions for the Disaster Assistance Program are structured to address the root causes of Improper Payments and Unknown Payments and are proportional to the associated risk. The agency is updating the Standard Operating Procedure governing the Disaster Assistance Loan Program to strengthen internal controls and clarify program requirements. In FY 2025, the Disaster Lending Operations Division (DLOD) began using the Unified Lending Platform (ULP) to streamline loan closings for disaster survivors and reduce administrative burden. During implementation, it was identified that DLOD was not authorized under 13 CFR 123.8 to charge certain fees related to the closing process.
In response, SBA implemented a corrective action in February 2025 allowing disaster survivors to close their loans independently or authorize the agency to complete the closing to ensure regulatory compliance. SBA also provides targeted internal feedback and employee training to reinforce policy expectations and improve documentation accuracy. These actions directly address the identified root cause and strengthen program oversight. Collectively, the updated SOP, enhanced training, and revised closing procedures reduce the likelihood of future Improper Payments and Unknown Payments.
| Payment type | Mitigation strategies taken | Mitigation strategies planned |
|---|---|---|
| Overpayments | Training | Training |
| Underpayments | Change Process, Training | Change Process, Training |
| Eligibility element/information needed | Description of the eligbility element/information |
|---|---|
| Financial | The financial position or status of a beneficiary, recipient, or their family |
| Receiving Benefits from Other Sources | Beneficiary or recipient is receiving benefits from an additional source |
Additional information
Reduction target
4.25 %The agency has internal control, human capital and information system and other infrastructure to reduce improper payments and unknown payment.
In the most recent budget submission, the agency requested to maintain current resources to support workforce capacity and operational activities required to ensure payment integrity of the Disaster loan program during testing, recoupment, and closeout. These resources are intended to support staff responsible for post-award reviews, improper payment identification, recovery efforts, and closeout activities. Despite overall resource constraints in fiscal year 2025, the program prioritized available staffing and funding to sustain payment integrity functions and ensure compliance through the recoupment and closeout phase.
As a means to reduce and/or eliminate the occurrence of improper payments, a Corrective Action Plan has been developed for the program. In addition, managers are held accountable for meeting the program's improper payment rate and unknown payment rate reductions targets. Senior management is responsible for implementing a Quality Control review process. In addition, senior management has established and maintained sufficient and appropriate control environment.