After mismanaged distribution of Ryan White HIV/AIDS funds left many New Orleans AIDS service organizations without funding from March through October of this year, errors in a public notice last week forced the city to delay the start of the 2009 distribution process as well, reports The Times-Picayune.

According to the article, health policy director Fran Lawless was responsible for distributing the Ryan White money and appeared to be accomplishing the task on time when her staff sent electronic documents to service providers in November and placed public notices for 2009 applications in The Times-Picayune on December 8, 9 and 10.

However, those notices said providers had until December 5 to pick up an application at City Hall, a date that had already passed. The notice also stated the deadline for submitting the form was “ Friday, December 15, 2008,” a date that was actually a Monday. Meanwhile, electronic notices sent to service providers said the submission deadline was Friday, December 18—which is still not Friday. A new application deadline has been set for January 9 because of the confusion over incorrect dates.

“If it weren’t so sad, it would be funny,” said Dave Munroe of In This Together, a non-profit with 225 clients. “The level of incompetence at times is stunning. Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, and this is what we get? Amazing.”