Contact: Lexi Kranich (814) 380-4408
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As Republicans across America are homing in on fraud — especially in blue jurisdictions — Rep. Pat Harrigan (R., N.C.) is making sure that foreign fraud in the Foreign Medical Program (FRA) gets the attention it deserves as well.
Harrigan’s latest legislation, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, is called the Foreign Medical Program Integrity and Improvement Act — and it comes after multiple warnings about abuse of the program, which has cost the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) tens of millions of dollars.
In one instance, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that VA claims in the FAO more than doubled to 160,000 in just a six year period, with a particular uptick in claims based in Panama. Multiple investigations found that a single Panamanian provider was part of a fraud scheme that bilked tens of…
This involves defrauding the state or using government systems to steal from individuals.
- Tax Identity Theft: A criminal uses your ID and income details to file a tax return in your name and claim a refund before you do.
- Grant/Benefit Fraud: Falsely claiming unemployment, disability, or social grants that the perpetrator is not entitled to.