Immigration and Customs Enforcement extended this week a contract worth up to $982 million with the company hired to process medical claims for detainees.
Acentra Health this month launched the processing services for health providers caring for people in immigration detention, nearly a year after ICE originally contracted the company to pay out the claims, according to the company’s website.
During the lapse in claims processing the agency has racked up millions owed to ambulance services, hospitals and other providers. Detainees have received bills for medical care, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
And Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that the lack of payment for off-site medical claims led to an increase in detainee deaths and health complications. Acentra Health has said government shutdowns caused the delay.
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The Virginia-based company could get paid the sum to process the claims until Oct. 24, 2030, according to a federal contracting database.
So far, ICE has committed to paying the company nearly $134 million, according to the contracting database. ICE extended the work with Acentra Health on Tuesday, increasing the potential award amount, according to a government notice.
“Any lapse in the current medical claims management and provider payment support would create immediate and significant risks to [ICE Health Service Corps] operations and to the health and safety of the detained population,” a document ICE published Tuesday says. “Maintaining support through Acentra mitigates these risks because the contractor is already performing the required services.”
ICE rushed in October 2025 to find a contractor after the Department of Veterans Affairs abruptly ended the two decade-long agreement to handle the claims. The health care technology company has also processed medical claims for the VA since 2017, according to an FAQ page about the contract with ICE.
The agency originally awarded the contract to Acentra Health without any competition because it was urgent to hire a company to pay out the claims to ensure immigrants got timely critical medical care, according to a document from the agency.
Acentra Health remains the only contractor that can provide support immediately after the agency tried to identify other potential vendors in June, ICE stated in its justification for extending the contract on Tuesday. But the company repeatedly pushed back the date for when it would start processing the claims, first expected to begin by April 30.
Lindsey Rodarmer, Acentra Health’s public relations manager, told The Washington Sun in July that the Department of Homeland Security shutdown had delayed implementation of the system. The company was required to pause its work until it received an extension in June, according to its FAQ on the contract issue.
“Acentra Health began implementation work at its own financial risk in late October 2025, before receiving payment for that work,” the company website says. “This work included establishing technical environments, setting up data services and software configurations, and recruiting and training staff to support the letter contract.”
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