By John McPhaul
jpmchaul@gmail.com
The Senate approved a measure that provides new economic resources to the Roberto González Vázquez Veteran’s House located in the municipality of Juana Díaz with the purpose of rehabilitating the infrastructure and acquiring new systems and equipment.
“Senate Bill 1091 guarantees the operations of the Veterans House, injecting necessary resources for the purchase of equipment and the reconditioning of the physical structure, making it possible for the surpluses of Law No. 313-2000, better known as the ‘Rental Subsidy Program for Housing for Puerto Rican Veterans Act’ to be used for the purposes described above,” commented the Senator for Accumulation and author of the bill, Keren Riquelme.
The measure was approved on October 12 with 22 votes in favor.
According to data from the Federal Veterans Affairs Administration, there are currently around 115,000 combat veterans residing in Puerto Rico.
As co-authors, the bill, which now goes to the House of Representatives, has as co-authors the Senate minority leader of the New Progressive Party, Thomas Rivera Schatz, the senator for the District of Carolina, Marissa Jiménez, the senator for San Juan, Nitza Moran and the senator for the District of Bayamón, Migdalia Padilla.
The Veteran’s House is an institution that provides long-term health care to veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States of America and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The facility has 120 home beds and about 120 with nursing service.
Act No. 313-2000 provides Veterans House recipients with a maximum subsidy of up to $600 each month for payment with care, if the care is with a sick person, this is $800.