Members of the Alcoholic Beverage and Laws Enforcement Commission were informed Friday that federal funds intended as reimbursement for the agency were diverted to satisfy another Oklahoma state agency’s debt.
Executive Director Keith Burt explained the funds are a reimbursement from the Food and Drug Administration and is given to the agency on a contract basis if they satisfy the requirements of tobacco compliance checks around the state.
But the agency was informed last week, the funds had been “diverted.”
The debt is the result of Medicare secondary coverage, they were told, and the diversion was made from payments due to several Oklahoma state agencies.
The state’s debt totaled $61,345; ABLE’s total reimbursement from the FDA was a sum of $61,346 -- leaving the agency with a just a $1 reimbursement.
