Members of Congress love to profess their alleged support for America’s military veterans. But if that’s true, why are they ignoring the agency tasked with caring for veterans’ medical needs, steering its resources towards illegal aliens?
Throughout the past several months, controversy has engulfed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over its processing of health care claims for illegal aliens. At issue is a contract between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the VA’s Financial Service Center (VA-FSC), dating back to 2002, that authorizes the latter to “process reimbursement claims from providers for health care costs of illegal aliens in ICE custody.”
While illegals in ICE custody are “typically treated onsite by medical professionals,” agency officials are permitted to take them to an “independent private provider” if a “specialist or emergency care” is deemed necessary, according to Fox News. It’s these types of cases in which ICE “contracts” with the VA-FCS “to process reimbursements to those providers.”
“According to a report from July, ICE has hundreds of letters of understanding in which ICE’s Health Service Corps (IHSC) will reimburse providers at Medicare rates,” the report reads. “That uses the VA-FSC’s Healthcare Claims Processing System, which is a portal that allows providers to submit and view claims and access other resources.”
ICE ultimately reimburses the VA for its services.
The policy has generated backlash among Republican lawmakers such as Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who recently blasted the Biden administration for prioritizing illegal immigrants over the well-being of American
