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.”