2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 37 - Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Ombudsman for the Elderly Act (§§ 721 — 736) › § 727 - Duties and powers of the Office

The Office shall have the following duties and functions, in addition to any others established in this chapter:
(a) To conduct and promote studies and research, as well as collect and analyze statistics concerning the situation of the elderly; analyze the factors that affect the rights of the elderly in all aspects of their social, political, economic, educational, cultural, and civic life, as well as their participation in matters of education and training, health, employment, empowerment, economic development and, in general, in the exercise of their civil, political, social, and cultural rights, including their participation in the decision-making process at all levels, among others.
(b) To oversee compliance with the public policy established by this chapter, ensure that the rights of the elderly are protected, and ascertain that public agencies comply with and adopt affirmative or corrective action programs, promote incorporation of said programs by private entities, as well as evaluate existing programs, in order to attain the integration of the elderly and to promote their participation.
(c) To file, at its discretion, with the courts, administrative forums and instrumentalities, and political subdivisions of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, on its own motion or on behalf of an interested party, whether it be elderly persons, individually or as a class, any action deemed pertinent to address violations of the public policy established in this chapter. The Office shall be exempt from the payment and cancellation of any kind of stamps, fees, and duties required for filing and processing any writ, action, or proceeding, or to obtain copies of any document under the consideration of the courts of justice and the administrative agencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(d) To continuously review and evaluate the activities carried out by public agencies and private entities to prevent violations of the rights of the elderly and to enable systematic processes of consultation with private entities and nongovernmental organizations concerned with the elderly, in order to ensure that the activities of the Office respond at all times to the needs, demands, and aspirations of the elderly population of Puerto Rico.
(e) To further actions that contribute to solving the problem of elderly abuse in all its manifestations.
(f) To consider the effect that new events might have on the methods used in the promotion and upholding of the rights of the elderly, and provide for the implementation of the appropriate corrective action.
(g) To cooperate and establish networks to share information and experience with private entities and nongovernmental organizations concerned with the elderly in Puerto Rico and abroad, as well as with Commonwealth, municipal, and federal agencies engaged in the protection and promotion of the rights of the elderly.
(h) To review and analyze international agreements, rules, and guidelines regarding the rights of the elderly, and investigate specific disputes insofar as they shed light on general issues, and recommend remedies geared toward guaranteeing the participation of the elderly in all aspects of the social, educational, recreational, political, economic, and cultural life.
(i) To introduce legislation as deemed pertinent for the effective implementation of the public policy established in this chapter and the rights that the Constitution of the United States of America, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and federal and local laws recognize for the elderly, as well as to procure that the public policy, the initiatives, the statements, and the projects specifically geared toward the elderly be evaluated and implemented with a vision of integration and respect.
(j) To coordinate community education efforts on the rights of the elderly and on elderly-related matters; it may also conduct, throughout the island, awareness, orientation, and education campaigns on the problems that afflict the elderly.
(k) To keep an updated online or printed catalogue or handbook on all programs, benefits, services, activities, and facilities available to the elderly in public agencies, as well as in private nonprofit entities. Such catalogue shall include and comprise a summary with citations of the Commonwealth and federal laws, regulations, orders, and rules regarding services and programs for the elderly.
For purposes of this subsection, the Office shall charge a reasonable fee to any citizen, other than senior citizens, who requests a printed copy of this catalogue or handbook. Said fee shall be fixed for the sole purpose of recovering the expenses incurred in the reproduction of said handbook or catalogue.
(l) Any other function necessary to comply with this chapter.
History —July 24, 2013, No. 76, § 8.