Ryan White CARE Act

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on funding for San Francisco under the Ryan White CARE Act, focusing on: (1) comparing San Francisco's fiscal (FY) 2000 title I grant award, which was determined using the act's hold-harmless provision, with what the award would have been had deceased acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases been included in the calculation; and (2) how funding for San Francisco that was based on the inclusion of deceased AIDS cases would have compared with the amount San Francisco would have received if the FY 2000 hold-harmless level had been reduced by 25 percent.

GAO noted that: (1) San Francisco's FY 2000 title I grant award would have been 26 percent less had both living and deceased AIDS cases been used to calculate the award instead of the current hold-harmless provision; (2) the reason for this result is the substantial decline in newly reported AIDS cases in San Francisco compared with other eligible metropolitan areas; and (3) therefore, a 25-percent reduction in the current hold-harmless level would have provided San Francisco with funding comparable to what it would have received if title I grants had been calculated on the basis of both deceased and living cases.