2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 62 - Bill of Rights of the Puerto Rican Veteran for the 21st Century (§§ 735 — 743) › § 741 - Creation of the Advisory Board

(a) A Board, to be known as the “Puerto Rican Veterans Affairs Advisory Board”, is hereby created attached to the Office of the Advocate for Veterans Affairs of Puerto Rico, to be constituted by one member of each of the veterans service organizations recognized by the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs in Puerto Rico, four members representatives of the public interest, the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Education, the Director of the Commonwealth Office of Human Resources, the Advocate for the Disabled and the Resident Commissioner in Washington.
(1) The Advocate for Veterans Affairs of Puerto Rico, henceforth called the Advocate, shall be a member of the Board and shall Chair the same.
(2) The Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources shall be the Secretary of the Board.
(3) All members shall have voice and vote.
(4) The members of each of the veterans service organizations recognized by the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs in Puerto Rico, shall be selected by each of their organizations and the four (4) members representatives of the public interest shall be appointed by the Advocate with the approval of the Governor of Puerto Rico for a term of two (2) years each, with the Board being renewed every two (2) years. Should any vacancy arise, the Advocate, with the approval of the Governor, shall appoint a new member to cover said vacancy, establishing that in case it is a member of the veterans organizations it shall be that organization that shall recommend the appointment and determine who shall occupy the position until the expiration of the term for which the substituted member was appointed. These members may be dismissed from office by the Advocate at any time the public interest may so require.
(5) All members of the Board from each of the veterans service organizations must be veterans, according to the criteria established by the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs and at least two (2) of the members must be females. Every veterans service organization accredited by the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs in Puerto Rico must submit the name of its representative, who will be recommended by the Advocate. The Advocate shall appoint the members of the public sector.
(b) The members shall receive a per diem of forty dollars ($40) for each day they perform Board functions, but in no case may the total amount paid on that account to all members exceed six thousand dollars ($6,000) per year.
(c) The Board shall adopt bylaws for its internal operations and except for what has been expressly provided in this chapter, it shall adopt its agreements by the majority of the members present. The Board shall meet at the initiative of the Chairperson, who shall call for meetings to be held at least six (6) times a year and who shall also be bound to call for a Board meeting when three-fourths (¾) of its members so require in writing.
(d) The Board shall hold public hearings in relation to any matter before its consideration at the initiative of the Advocate or by agreement of the majority of the members at least once a year or when the public interest so justifies.
(e) The Board may obtain from the Advocate any information it may deem necessary and reasonable for carrying out its functions, although such information shall be of a confidential nature. The preceding notwithstanding, the Board may refer to said information in its reports which it shall submit to the Advocate who shall in turn submit the same to the Governor and to the Legislature with his/her points of view and recommendations concerning the legislative actions that should be adopted to deal with all matters related to the veterans.
(f) The Board shall have the following duties, among others:
(1) Intervene in any specific matter the Advocate may submit.
(2) Investigate and inform the Advocate about public or private practices that may be adverse to the best interests of Puerto Rican veterans.
(3) Advise and act as consultant to the Advocate, motu proprio or when solicited, relative to diverse matters, but not necessarily limited to those, such as: discrimination against veterans as to employment or studies for reasons such as age, race, creed, gender, color, origin, social condition, political affiliation or injuries of a military origin or other; vested rights, reemployment, negative or positive preferences, fair and equitable examination offers, rights related to education, hospitalization, contributions, taxes, accreditation of time served in the Armed Forces for retirement purposes, pensions for years of service, death payments, rights of heirs, exemptions for disabled veterans, evaluation of the services provided by the Veterans Administration, including the classification and origin of the illness, evaluation of the medical-hospital and psychiatric services provided by public or private institutions, acquisition of automobiles for disabled veterans, issue of special license plates with distinctive symbol, the use of war surplus, certificates issued by government agencies, and the problems with the government encountered by veterans in relation to their education, employment, housing and necessary legislation.
(4) The Board shall have no executive or administrative powers of any kind whatsoever and its function shall merely be of an advisory and consultative nature.
History —Dec. 14, 2007, No. 203, § 8.