Photo by msdeena

The Washington Post reports that Congress’s failure to pass its fiscal 2011 budget on time has held up critical dollars used to pay for medical care and support services for more than 500,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. The District has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the nation, and D.C. advocates claim many local programs are unsustainable without the federal funding provided under the Ryan White Act.

A delayed budget meant the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration was unable to administer its grants on time. Additionally, high staff turnover at the agency led to admitted errors in calculating awards, which compounded the backlog.

The D.C. region receives about $31 million a year of the funds awarded to areas that are most severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Federal officials said that all but $1.7 million due the region has been paid, but Greg Pappas, senior deputy director for the D.C. health department’s HIV/AIDS administration, disputes that figure, claiming only 36 percent of the funds have arrived.