Resettlement and Medical Problems of Indochinese Refugees in the United States

GAO testified concerning Indochinese refugees' resettlement and medical problems which have placed substantial burdens on both Federal and federally assisted organizations responsible for refugee resettlement. Specifically, GAO noted that: (1) in most cases, refugees have been placed in only a few areas of the country because of efforts to resettle them near family members and friends living in the United States; (2) there has been a lack of employment assistance given to the refugees soon after their arrival which has been coupled with large numbers of refugees receiving public assistance; (3) monitoring by voluntary agencies to assure that refugees receive the services needed to help them to become self-sufficient has been limited; (4) Federal management of the resettlement program has been fragmented; and (5) although three Federal offices have key roles in domestic refugee resettlement, none has the clear responsibility and authority for the program. GAO believes that these roles should be addressed in the reauthorization of the Refugee Act. GAO also recommended that the requirement for GAO audits contained in H.R. 5879 not be enacted. In a summary of its recent report concerning medical problems of Indochinese refugees, GAO stated that there is a high incidence of serious contagious diseases among the refugees admitted to the United States. This is due to inadequate medical examinations performed overseas. GAO has concluded that much needs to be done both to deal effectively with the social and medical problems of the Indochinese refugees already in this country and to improve the medical examinations and treatment of those expected to arrive in coming years.