PA WAP Audit Finds Deficiencies

Pennsylvania’s Auditor General released findings August 1 from a special performance audit of the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), reporting that  the state’s deficient administration of the program failed to prioritize the needs of low-income Pennsylvanians, placing some of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens at greater risk.

According to the audit, because of poor administration, inadequate funding and insufficient manpower, it could take up to nine years to clear the statewide backlog of 9,249 applicants that were seeking weatherization assistance as of June 30, 2006, according to records supplied by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), which oversees the program.

The audit also cited the agency’s failure to develop a priority list of the neediest applicants; failure to make sure local agencies responded to crises within the federally mandated period of 48 hours; and failure to conduct follow-up inspections to make sure that repairs were delivering their promised energy savings.

The DCED responded by defending its oversight of the WAP and disputing some of the audit’s assertions. It said that prior to the audit in 2006, DCED instituted a set of improvements to address identified program weaknesses. The DCED also disputes that the neediest Pennsylvanians did not receive priority for receipt of weatherization services, noting that several different vulnerable populations are given priority in the current program structure – elderly persons; persons with disabilities; families with children; high residential energy users; and households with a high energy burden.

 Source: Pennsylvania newspapers

Page Last Updated: August 3, 2007