The question of who uncovered possible abuses in a Medicaid program for people with traumatic brain injuries is at the root of a new dispute between Erie County’s executive and comptroller.

Mark C. Poloncarz, the county comptroller, issued a statement Monday claiming it was his office, not the Collins administration, that discovered problems in the Medicaid-funded transportation program for brain-injured clients.

“They didn’t uncover it, my office did,” the Democrat said of potential abuses with the state-run program.

Poloncarz released his statement after a story in The Buffalo News detailed potential problems with the program and included comments from Erie County Social Services Commissioner Carol Dankett questioning the wisdom of some its practices.

Chief among her complaints was an Erie County client who, as part of the program, was driven to Seneca Nation territory in Irving to buy low-cost cigarettes. Records indicate the person made 20 such trips in three months.

Poloncarz claims it was his staff, not Dankett’s, that discovered taxpayer money was being used to support the client’s cigarette habit. He said his office also uncovered evidence of a client who was driven to Rochester’s popular Dinosaur Bar B Que.

“Why should taxpayers be paying for an individual who wants to go to their favorite restaurant in Rochester?” Poloncarz asked Monday.

Poloncarz said he felt compelled to set the record straight because Dankett denied any responsibility for the program when she was first questioned by his office.

Grant Loomis, a spokesman for County Executive Chris Collins, said the issue is not who gets credit for uncovering the abuses but rather insuring that whatever problems exist are fixed.

“The point of all this is to voice our concerns that Medicaid dollars should not be used to support unhealthy behavior,” Loomis said.

Poloncarz said he has withheld payment to the transportation vendors involved in the questionable trips until the state decides if those trips are legitimate.

The state program, known as the Medicaid Waiver for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury, was designed to help brain-injured clients with errands and appointments, one way of keeping them independent and out of costly, long-term institutional care.