Pursuit's Take
As part of its mission, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) distributes Federal funds intended for the welfare of retired mine workers and their dependents. Each year, OSMRE transfers millions of dollars drawn from two Government sources—the interest account of the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fund and the U.S. Treasury’s General Fund—to the United Mine Workers of America Health and Retirement Funds (UMWAF). From 2011 through 2015, OSMRE transferred $961.3 million in funds to UMWAF to provide benefits for retired miners and their families.
found that OSMRE has provided minimal oversight of UMWAF’s federally supported health benefit plans, leaving the Federal Government without sufficient insight into how UMWAF has been using the transferred funds. As a result, OSMRE has not ensured that UMWAF managed the federally supported health benefit plans in accordance with regulations and statutes.
The monetary impact of this audit totals $58.8 million in question costs or “funds that could be put to better use.”