The Department of Veterans Affairs has come under fire for supporting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in medically treating undocumented immigrants, even as the number of U.S. veterans increases.
Under the arrangement, which has been in place for more than 20 years, ICE pays for the Veterans Administration's Financial Services Center (FSC) to process medical claims for ICE's Health Services Corps (IHSC) and other government agencies. The IHSC is solely responsible for licensing health care services and securing health care providers to provide care.
In fiscal year 2021, FSC processed $74 million worth of claims budgeted by IHSC. In the following fiscal year, the FSC appropriated more than $94 million to the ICE fund, according to the Department of Homeland Security's report on Medical Expenses for Noncitizens in Custody.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington DC (Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images/File)
The announcement comes amid a growing backlog of benefits claims by veterans. As of December 2023, that number reached 378,000.
The department attributes the increase in claims to the PACT Act, which it says is responsible for the surge in benefits applications, which are nearly 40% higher than previous records.
The number of applications has increased, the Veterans Administration said., which led to an increase in application time. In some cases, processing can take more than 125 days, and the department expects the backlog to increase in 2024.
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Wednesday's report from new york post He highlighted the VA's arrangement with ICE and cited veterans and Republican lawmakers who criticized the arrangement given the circumstances.
Republican Rep. Derrick Vann of Wisconsin, a retired Navy SEAL on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, called the deal “despicable” and said it “needs to be stopped immediately.”
Chad Robichaux, a former Marine who led the civilian evacuation effort in Afghanistan, said it was a “huge slap in the face to the American people and military community” and that “millions of taxpayer dollars have been paid.” [are being] Instead, they were taken away from veterans to encourage and care for illegal aliens. ”
According to a Department of Homeland Security report, the FSC has earmarked more than $94 million for the ICE Fund. (Immigration/Immigration Residency Control and Customs Enforcement)
A spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs told Fox News Digital that the report was “highly misleading” and that the department does not provide funding or medical care to illegal immigrants in ICE custody. He emphasized.
He distinguished that veterans' medical insurance and veterans' disability claims are separate procedures. VA says it will process veterans benefits at a record pace in 2023, delivering $163 billion in benefits to more than 1.5 million veterans and survivors, including $150 billion in compensation and pension benefits. Announced.
VA spokesman Terrence Hayes said VA's work for ICE is limited to administrative functions, has fewer than 10 employees, and is fully paid by ICE. None of these employees have been reassigned from other roles, and no veteran resources have been used for this agreement.
The number of Veterans Affairs claims stemming from the PACT Act is increasing, leading to a sharp increase in applications for benefits. (Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Torrance Daily Breeze, Getty Images/File)
”[The arrangement] “It has been in place in every administration since 2002,” Hayes said in a statement. “Our job is to provide world-class care and benefits for our nation’s veterans, and we will continue to fight tooth and nail to do just that.”
If ICE has the money to pay the Veterans Administration, it remains unclear why, 20 years later, it cannot hire additional personnel of its own to process paperwork within the department.
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ICE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
