No, the VA is not providing or paying for medical care for migrants

Critics of the Biden administration are accusing the president of putting immigrants ahead of veterans.

Several conservative groups and members of Congress say the Department of Veterans Affairs has been diverting resources away from caring for veterans and toward people in the country illegally.

Numerous VERIFY viewers asked us if the VA was providing medical care to migrants.

THE QUESTION

Is the VA providing or paying for medical care for migrants?

THE SOURCES

• Concerned Veterans for America
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of Veterans Affairs

THE ANSWER

No, the VA is not providing or paying for medical care for migrants.

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WHAT WE FOUND

The controversy first arose in December of 2023, with Republican members of Congress and advocacy groups like Concerned Veterans for America issuing statements accusing the Biden administration of “managing care for unauthorized migrants.”

The statements were in reference to a decades-old agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

When ICE has migrants in custody that need medical care, they’re typically treated by ICE’s own Health Service Corps. But when people in custody need treatment that can’t be provided in-house, they’re sometimes taken to outside doctors. 

ICE later reimburses those doctors. The most recent annual report on ICE healthcare spending shows that in 2022, ICE paid out $10.1 million in reimbursements.

To process those transactions, ICE uses a system set up by the VA called the Financial Services Center (FSC). The FSC processes transactions for several government agencies, and has been doing so for ICE since 2002.

The costs are paid for by ICE, or whichever agency is using the service, not the VA. The agencies also pay a processing fee to the VA-FSC.

The VA says only ten employees currently handle these transactions and that they’ve been doing so for decades, stressing that at no point – under Republican or Democratic administrations – were VA employees diverted away from other work.

“This has no impact to veteran care or services whatsoever. No resources meant for veterans are used as part of this agreement,” said Terrence Hayes, a VA spokesman. “FSC provides an administrative function for ICE, using ICE funds, that has zero impact on veteran health care or benefits.”