Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Allentown

EIN: 231598117

UEI: J6SMNCGB8EM9

Data as of August 23, 2026

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Allentown3 audit years2 findings1 repeat
3
Audit Years
2
Total Findings
1
Repeat Findings

FY 2023-06-30

Management decision deadline — for entities that funded this organization

The FAC accepted this audit on February 21, 2024. Under 2 CFR 200.521(d), a pass-through entity that provided federal funds to this organization for this audit period must issue a management decision on these findings by August 21, 2024 (733 days ago).

What is a management decision? →
2023-001
Eligibility
MATERIAL WEAKNESSREPEATQUESTIONED COSTS

Finding 2023-001 - Eligibility (Material Weakness); Material Noncompliance Federal Program: COVID-19: Emergency Rental Assistance Program Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Pass-Through Entity: PA Department of Human Services and Carbon County Assistance Listing Number: 21.023 Federal Award Year: July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 Repeat of Prior Year Audit Finding 2022-001 Criteria: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act included funding for states to establish emergency rental assistance programs (ERAP). Recipients must comply with the requirements for Emergency Rental Assistance (“ERA 1”), Division N, Title V, Section 501 of the Consolidated appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260 (December 27, 2020) and codified as 15 USC 9058a and Emergency Rental Assistance (“ERA 2”), Title III, Subtitle B, Section 3201 of the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-2 (March 11, 2021) codified as 15 USC 9058c. The U.S. Department of Treasury issued Emergency Rental Assistance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) as guidance regarding the requirements of ERA1 and ERA2. FAQ 5 states Grantees must obtain, if available, a current lease, signed by the applicant and the landlord or sublessor, that identifies the unit where the applicant resides and establishes the rental payment amount. If a household does not have a signed lease, documentation of residence may include evidence of paying utilities for the residential unit, an attestation by a landlord who can be identified as the verified owner or management agent of the unit, or other reasonable documentation as determined by the grantee. Condition/Context: During our audit, 8 out of 40 individual files selected for eligibility testing did not contain evidence that the Organization obtained or reviewed a lease to support the eligibility of the individual who received a direct assistance payment. Further, there was no evidence of alternative documentation of residence when a lease could not be obtained. The sample was not a statistically valid sample. Cause: Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown was the only entity in Carbon County administering ERAP funding; no other agency would agree to undertake the obligations of administering this magnitude of a program, which assisted economically insecure renters with over $2.3 million funding during applicable fiscal year. The volume of inquiries and processed applications quickly overwhelmed the staff of Catholic Charities, with immense pressure from the administrative entities to process the applications as quickly as possible. This pressure on limited staff to process applications quickly led to errors in documentation. Effect: The accuracy of client records depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the staff review. If the Organization does not complete or review within a timely manner, records may be inaccurate or incomplete and potentially ineligible direct assistance payments may be rendered. Questioned Costs: $26,072 of direct assistance payments were paid despite not having appropriate eligibility documentation on file. Recommendation: The Organization should develop a process to review the applications that were previously accepted to ensure they include all of the required supporting documentation. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown declined to administer the second round of ERAP funding. Significant leadership changes have been implemented in May 2023, including a new Managing Director. Catholic Charities is in the process of designing an enhanced training program to ensure all programs complete all documentation required to substantiate eligibility under each program administered, whether privately or publicly funded. Cause: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act included funding for states to establish emergency rental assistance programs (ERAP). Pennsylvania and its counties received approximately $1.3 billion to administer assistance to renters who had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic insecurity. Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown was the only entity in Carbon County administering ERAP funding; no other agency would agree to undertake the obligations of administering this magnitude of a program, which assisted economically insecure renters with over $2.3 million funding during applicable fiscal year. The volume of inquiries and processed applications quickly overwhelmed the staff of Catholic Charities, with immense pressure from the administrative entities to process the applications as quickly as possible. This pressure on limited staff to process applications quickly led to errors in documentation. Effect: The accuracy of client records depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the staff review. If the Organization does not complete or review within a timely manner, records may be inaccurate or incomplete. Questioned Costs: $26,072 of direct assistance payments were paid despite not having appropriate eligibility documentation on file. Recommendation: The Organization should develop a process to review the applications that were previously accepted to ensure they include all of the required supporting documentation. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown declined to administer the second round of ERAP funding. Significant leadership changes have been implemented in May 2023, including a new Managing Director. Catholic Charities is in the process of designing an enhanced training program to ensure all programs complete all documentation required to substantiate eligibility under each program administered, whether privately or publicly funded.

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Full finding narrative

Finding 2023-001 - Eligibility (Material Weakness); Material Noncompliance Federal Program: COVID-19: Emergency Rental Assistance Program Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Pass-Through Entity: PA Department of Human Services and Carbon County Assistance Listing Number: 21.023 Federal Award Year: July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 Repeat of Prior Year Audit Finding 2022-001 Criteria: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act included funding for states to establish emergency rental assistance programs (ERAP). Recipients must comply with the requirements for Emergency Rental Assistance (“ERA 1”), Division N, Title V, Section 501 of the Consolidated appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260 (December 27, 2020) and codified as 15 USC 9058a and Emergency Rental Assistance (“ERA 2”), Title III, Subtitle B, Section 3201 of the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-2 (March 11, 2021) codified as 15 USC 9058c. The U.S. Department of Treasury issued Emergency Rental Assistance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) as guidance regarding the requirements of ERA1 and ERA2. FAQ 5 states Grantees must obtain, if available, a current lease, signed by the applicant and the landlord or sublessor, that identifies the unit where the applicant resides and establishes the rental payment amount. If a household does not have a signed lease, documentation of residence may include evidence of paying utilities for the residential unit, an attestation by a landlord who can be identified as the verified owner or management agent of the unit, or other reasonable documentation as determined by the grantee. Condition/Context: During our audit, 8 out of 40 individual files selected for eligibility testing did not contain evidence that the Organization obtained or reviewed a lease to support the eligibility of the individual who received a direct assistance payment. Further, there was no evidence of alternative documentation of residence when a lease could not be obtained. The sample was not a statistically valid sample. Cause: Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown was the only entity in Carbon County administering ERAP funding; no other agency would agree to undertake the obligations of administering this magnitude of a program, which assisted economically insecure renters with over $2.3 million funding during applicable fiscal year. The volume of inquiries and processed applications quickly overwhelmed the staff of Catholic Charities, with immense pressure from the administrative entities to process the applications as quickly as possible. This pressure on limited staff to process applications quickly led to errors in documentation. Effect: The accuracy of client records depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the staff review. If the Organization does not complete or review within a timely manner, records may be inaccurate or incomplete and potentially ineligible direct assistance payments may be rendered. Questioned Costs: $26,072 of direct assistance payments were paid despite not having appropriate eligibility documentation on file. Recommendation: The Organization should develop a process to review the applications that were previously accepted to ensure they include all of the required supporting documentation. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown declined to administer the second round of ERAP funding. Significant leadership changes have been implemented in May 2023, including a new Managing Director. Catholic Charities is in the process of designing an enhanced training program to ensure all programs complete all documentation required to substantiate eligibility under each program administered, whether privately or publicly funded. Cause: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act included funding for states to establish emergency rental assistance programs (ERAP). Pennsylvania and its counties received approximately $1.3 billion to administer assistance to renters who had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic insecurity. Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown was the only entity in Carbon County administering ERAP funding; no other agency would agree to undertake the obligations of administering this magnitude of a program, which assisted economically insecure renters with over $2.3 million funding during applicable fiscal year. The volume of inquiries and processed applications quickly overwhelmed the staff of Catholic Charities, with immense pressure from the administrative entities to process the applications as quickly as possible. This pressure on limited staff to process applications quickly led to errors in documentation. Effect: The accuracy of client records depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the staff review. If the Organization does not complete or review within a timely manner, records may be inaccurate or incomplete. Questioned Costs: $26,072 of direct assistance payments were paid despite not having appropriate eligibility documentation on file. Recommendation: The Organization should develop a process to review the applications that were previously accepted to ensure they include all of the required supporting documentation. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown declined to administer the second round of ERAP funding. Significant leadership changes have been implemented in May 2023, including a new Managing Director. Catholic Charities is in the process of designing an enhanced training program to ensure all programs complete all documentation required to substantiate eligibility under each program administered, whether privately or publicly funded.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2023-001- Eligibility Condition During our audit, 8 out of 40 individual files selected for eligibility testing did not contain evidence that the Organization obtained or reviewed a lease to support the eligibility of the individual who received a direct assistance payment. Further, there was no evidence of alternative documentation of residence when a lease could not be obtained. Corrective Action Plan Corrective Action Planned: Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown declined to administer the second round of ERAP funding. Significant leadership changes have been implemented in May 2023, including a new Managing Director. Catholic Charities is in the process of designing an enhanced training program to ensure all programs complete all documentation required to substantiate eligibility under each program administered, whether privately or publicly funded. Name(s) of Contact Person(s) Responsible for Corrective Action: Andrea Kochen Neagle, Managing Director and Susan Mazza, Finance Administrator Anticipated Completion Date: December 2023

Prior Finding References

2022-001

About Eligibility →

FY 2022-06-30

FAC accepted this audit on January 15, 2023 — management decision was due July 15, 2023.

2022-001
Eligibility
QUESTIONED COSTS

During our audit, for 1 out of 40 individuals selected for testing, the Organization did not maintain eligibility or self-certification documentation. The sample was not a statistically valid sample but was determined using Chapter 21 - Audit Sampling Considerations of Uniform Guidance Compliance Audits of the Government Auditing Standards and Single Audit Guide. Cause: The paper application was misplaced during a move between office locations. Note that completing a paper application is a practice that is no longer continued with this program. Effect: The accuracy of client records depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the staff. If the Organization does not complete or review within a timely manner, records may be inaccurate or incomplete. Questioned Costs: $5,250 of direct assistance payments were paid despite not having appropriate eligibility documentation on file. Recommendation: The Organization should exclusively utilize an electronic application system and should develop a process to review the applications that were previously accepted in paper format to ensure they include all of the required supporting documentation. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The Organization agrees with the finding. Paper applications are no longer accepted for this program due to the efficiency of tracking online applications.

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Full finding narrative

Finding 2022-001 - Eligibility Federal Program: Emergency Rental Assistance Program Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Pass-Through Entity: PA Department of Human Services and Carbon County Assistance Listing Number: 21.023 Federal Award Year: July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 Criteria: Section 501 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 requires certain documentation must be maintained to support the eligibility of direct assistance payments made under this program. Condition: During our audit, for 1 out of 40 individuals selected for testing, the Organization did not maintain eligibility or self-certification documentation. The sample was not a statistically valid sample but was determined using Chapter 21 - Audit Sampling Considerations of Uniform Guidance Compliance Audits of the Government Auditing Standards and Single Audit Guide. Cause: The paper application was misplaced during a move between office locations. Note that completing a paper application is a practice that is no longer continued with this program. Effect: The accuracy of client records depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the staff. If the Organization does not complete or review within a timely manner, records may be inaccurate or incomplete. Questioned Costs: $5,250 of direct assistance payments were paid despite not having appropriate eligibility documentation on file. Recommendation: The Organization should exclusively utilize an electronic application system and should develop a process to review the applications that were previously accepted in paper format to ensure they include all of the required supporting documentation. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The Organization agrees with the finding. Paper applications are no longer accepted for this program due to the efficiency of tracking online applications.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2022-001- Eligibility Condition During our audit, for 1 out of 40 individuals selected for testing, the Organization did not maintain eligibility or self-certification documentation. Corrective Action Plan Corrective Action Planned: The Organization agrees with the finding. In the future, the Organization will no longer be accepting paper applications for this program due to the efficiency of tracking online applications. Name(s) of Contact Person(s) Responsible for Corrective Action: Robert Nicolella, Executive Director and Susan Mazza, Finance Administrator Anticipated Completion Date: November 2022

About Eligibility →

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