2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 36 - Service Agencies for Persons with Impediments (§§ 811 — 814) › § 813 - Express service line

(a) Except as provided in the second paragraph of subsection (c) of this section, all agencies, instrumentalities, and public corporations, as well as the municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and private entities that receive public funds, that render direct services to the citizenry are hereby directed to design and adopt an “express service line” to benefit persons with disabilities, as certified by the Department of Health, as well as those persons sixty (60) years or older, duly identified by a card or any other proof of age issued by the Commonwealth or federal government authority and pregnant women, when they visit the same, on their own or accompanied by family members, or guardians or persons doing business on their behalf or as their representative, to discharge administrative matters and business exclusively on their behalf, and to pregnant women when carrying out daily chores personally.
(b) All agencies, instrumentalities, and public corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as well as its municipalities and private entities that receive public funds, shall be responsible for posting in the area designated to take the turns and/or write their names in the waiting list, as well as in the main entrance of the facility, specifically in an area visible to the public, at eye level, a sign, notice, poster, announcement or placard, visible and legible from a distance of ten (10) feet, stating the following:
“PRIORITY TURNS
For Persons with Disabilities, Persons of 60 years of age
or more and/or Pregnant Women.”
Said poster, sign, notice, placard or announcement of a size not less than eleven inches by fourteen inches (11" x 14"), using block letters of a minimum size of one-half inch (1/2"), shall be made and placed, in compliance with the pertinent sections of the “Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines”. Should it become apparent, by the request of a citizen requesting services, or that the personnel becomes aware that the applicant does not, or cannot read, the employees of the offices referred to in subsection (a) of this section, have the obligation to inform that person of his/her right to the benefits established in this section, as a means of accommodation.
In addition to what is provided above, they must use and adopt the model regulations provided by the Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official and the Office for Affairs of the Elderly regarding the implementation of the priority turns and the express line system.
(c) The Secretaries and Directors of agencies, instrumentalities and public corporations, as well as the mayors of the different municipalities and the directors and/or administrators of private entities that receive public funds, referred to in subsection (a) of this section, shall design and implement the express line service system in their respective agencies, offices, municipalities and entities, as directed in subsection (a) of this section, within a term that shall not exceed six (6) months from the date of approval of this act.
With the purpose of safeguarding the principle of priority that governs our mortgage registration laws, the provisions of this section shall not apply to the Property Registry attached to the Department of Justice.
(d) When it is so requested, the Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating, Office of the Women’s Advocate, as well as the Office of Elderly Affairs shall provide the corresponding advice to the bodies responsible under this section on the necessary regulations to be adopted for the making and affixing of said sign, notice, poster, announcement or placard so that the same is in compliance with the pertinent sections of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines.
(e) The Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official, the Office of the Women’s Advocate, as well as the Office for the Affairs of the Elderly shall be in charge of ensuring compliance with this section.
History —July 4, 2001, No. 51, §§ 1–3; Jan. 10, 2004, No. 46, §§ 1–6; Aug. 20, 2005, No. 59, §§ 1–4.