2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 69A - Office of the Advocate for the Elderly (§§ 1976 — 1976m) › § 1976d - Functions and Duties

The Office shall have, without it being construed as a limitation, the following functions and duties:
(a) Conduct and promote studies and research, as well as compile and analyze statistics concerning the situation of the elderly, analyze the factors that affect the rights of the elderly in all aspects of their life concerning social, political, economic, educational, cultural and civic spheres, as well as access to participation in matters of education and competency, health, employment, self-reliance, 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) Oversee that the public policy established by this chapter is complied with, protect the rights of the elderly and ascertain that public agencies comply and adopt affirmative or corrective action programs, promote their incorporation into private entities, as well as evaluate existing programs, in order to attain the integration of the elderly and to propitiate their participation.
(c) File, at its discretion, with the courts, administrative forums and instrumentalities and political subdivisions of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, on its own initiative or in representation of an interested party, whether it be elderly persons as individuals or as a class, the actions it deems pertinent to handle violations of the public policy established in this chapter. The Office shall be exempted from the payment and cancellation of any kind of stamps, tariffs and fees required for the filing and processing of any writs, actions or procedures, or to obtain copies of any document being considered by the courts of justice and administrative agencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(d) Maintain a continuous review and evaluation of 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 and non-government elderly-related entities with the purpose of ensuring that the activities of the Office respond at all times to the needs, demands and aspirations of the elderly population of Puerto Rico.
(e) Further actions that contribute to solving the problem of elderly abuse in all its manifestations.
(f) 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 the appropriate corrective action to be implemented.
(g) Cooperate and establish information and experience exchange and working networks with private and non-government elderly-related entities and organizations of Puerto Rico and abroad, and with the Commonwealth, municipal and federal agencies engaged in the development and promotion of the rights of the elderly.
(h) Study and analyze the international agreements, norms and directives concerning the rights of the elderly and investigate concrete controversies insofar as they shed light over problems of a general importance, and recommend remedies directed toward guaranteeing the participation of the elderly in all aspects of the social, educational, recreational, political, economic and cultural spheres.
(i) Propose the legislation it deems pertinent for the effective development 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 addressing the elderly be evaluated and implemented with a vision of integration and respect.
(j) Coordinate efforts concerning community education on the rights of the elderly and on elderly-related matters; it may conduct, throughout the island, sensitivity, orientation and education campaigns on the problems that afflict the elderly.
(k) Keep updated a 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 a catalogue shall include and encompass a summary, with citations, of the Commonwealth and federal laws, regulations, orders, norms, procedures, resources, means, mechanisms and requirements needed to qualify for and obtain any benefit, service, right or privilege.
For the purposes of this subsection, the Office shall charge a reasonable price to any citizen, other than senior citizens, who requests a copy of this catalogue or handbook. Said price shall be fixed with the sole purpose of recovering the expenses incurred for the reproduction of said handbook or catalogue.
(l) To establish collaborative agreements with the Department of Health and the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico in order to promote scientific research that may identify potential environmental risks, such as pollutants, in search of new and better alternatives for the prevention and maintenance of health conditions that affect the elderly population.
(m) To establish collaborative agreements with the Environmental Quality Board and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to establish initiatives and strategies for the purpose of motivating elderly persons to become involved in the community, in order to promote the reduction of environmental risks, and thus protect our environment for future generations; and in this manner promoting the civic commitment of elderly persons to the preservation of ecological stability.
(n) Offer, in coordination with the Human Capital Development Division, attached to the Office of Human Resources of the Commonwealth, training, sensitivity, informational, and educational campaigns to public employees about the rights that protect the elderly.
(o) Any other function necessary for compliance with this chapter.
History —Aug. 7, 2004, No. 203, § 7; Mar. 6, 2007, No. 17, § 1; June 2, 2009, No. 21, § 1.