Lawmaker advocating in DC on behalf of island’s military veterans.

Rep. José Aponte Hernández

By THE STAR STAFF

As part of his effort to improve the quality of life for Puerto Rican veterans, Rep. José Aponte Hernández began visiting members of Congress on Monday to promote equal benefits, including health and housing, for the some 100,000 military veterans residing on the island.

The visit is also part of the Equality and Statehood Summit, which is being held for the second year in Washington, D.C.

Accompanying Aponte is a group of young people who advocate for making Puerto Rico the nation’s 51st state.

“The fight for equal rights, which can only be achieved through statehood, is moving to the nation’s capital to advocate for greater benefits for our men and women who wore, with great honor and pride, the uniform of our nation’s Armed Forces,” said Aponte, who chairs the House Committee on Federal Affairs and Veterans Affairs. “Veterans residing in the states of the union receive benefits that are not offered to those living in the territory of Puerto Rico, even though they risked the same lives and served equally. This must end. That is why we will continue our efforts in Washington to, among other things, promote greater benefits for our heroes.”

The former speaker of the island House of Representatives added: “We are going to knock on doors, talk with members of Congress, with advisers, with staff in Congress so that they focus their efforts on eliminating discriminatory barriers in the provision of medical services, as well as housing and education, among other areas where our veterans are marginalized for living in a colony.”

“In Puerto Rico, there must be more clinics, more excellent services, not only health services, but all the other services that our veterans require, as is the case in the states of the union,” he said. “There must be no difference whatsoever.”

Aponte has been in communication with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio to address the situation, which he categorized as a civil rights issue. He will be participating in a series of meetings in the U.S. capital on the matter.

According to data available from the Department of Veterans Affairs, about 18% of veterans in Puerto Rico live below the poverty level.