Tartaglione Reacts to Audit of Department of Public Welfare

by | November 14, 2013 | News Releases

The following statement was offered today by Senator Christine M. Tartaglione in support of Auditor General DePasquale’s recent audit that discovered mismanagement of a Department of Public Welfare contract for home care workers:

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today issued a report detailing gaping holes in the monitoring of home care workers payroll contracts.  As a result of the problems, the auditor general said that 1,500 Pennsylvanians were impacted negatively by the transition to other providers, costing Pennsylvania in excess of $7 million.

“Today’s audit report was eye-opening and reinforced the concerns that Senate Democrats have raised about this very issue for months.  The audit concluded there was gross mismanagement, lack of oversight and little accountability related to payroll providers who were responsible for compensating home health care aides for their hard work and attention to Pennsylvanians living with a disability.

“I have spent my entire career fighting for the rights and protecting the health and safety of our most vulnerable citizens.  The audit reinforces our belief that the Corbett Administration has failed hard-working families who have suffered financial and emotional stress due to their lack of supervision.

“I will work with my Senate Democratic colleagues to devise legislative or administrative solutions to ensure that home health care workers don’t fall victim again.”

Tartaglione: Disabled Pennsylvanians Don’t Want to ‘Just Sit There’

by | February 29, 2012 | News Releases

HARRISBURG,  Feb. 29, 2012 –  Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione released the following statement today regarding yesterday’s budget hearing for the Department of Public Welfare:

“The blind and shortsighted slashing done by this budget creates many small cycles that, when completed, will create budget challenges for future administrations and future generations.

Few are more illogical than reductions in funding for efforts that help people with disabilities gain more independence and find suitable employment.   Pennsylvania’s previous efforts in assistive technology have not just made thousands of people more independent and secure, but they’ve also made workers out of people who were not able to find employment because of some physical barrier.

In short, cutting assistive technology efforts reduces the workforce and promotes lives of dependency and welfare.

Today, we heard about the administration’s plans to cut welfare and it makes me wonder where these people have been to form the mindset that produced these decisions.

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