Wal-Mart Accused Of Cheating WIC Program

TULSA (CN) - Wal-Mart Stores criminally defrauded the State of Oklahoma and the federal government by reporting higher sales prices for infant formula it sold through WIC vouchers than it actually charged, according to a formerpharmacy employee who filed inFederal Court.

Metcalf claims Wal-Mart and her managers determined the maximum permissible reimbursement they could get for the infant formula, then charged WIC customers "a greater amount than a customer not participating in the WIC program would have been charged, had they purchased the very same product from the pharmacy. As a result of such manipulation, the pharmacy submitted fraudulently manipulated vouchers and cash-register tapes to OSDH [the Oklahoma State Department of Health] for reimbursement under WIC. This scheme was already under way on May 1, 2004, when Ms. Metcalf was first assigned to work in the pharmacy, and continued at least until the late spring or early summer of 2006."

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