2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 87 - Special Program for Training in Basic Care of People with Disabilities for Social Assistance Beneficiaries (§§ 8300 — 8303) › § 8301 - Interdisciplinary groups—Composition, duties and functions

(1) This Program shall be attached to the Socio-Economic Development Administration of the Department of the Family, and shall count on the collaboration and advice of two (2) interdisciplinary groups to be described below:
(a) Interdisciplinary group for the design of the training curriculum for the basic care of persons with disabilities. — This interdisciplinary group shall be composed of the Secretary of the Department of the Family, who shall preside over the group, the Administrator of the Families’ and Children’s Administration of the Department of the Family, the Administrator of the Socio-Economic Development Administration, the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, the Administrator of the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, the Secretary of the Department of Education, the Secretary of the Department of Health, the College of Social Workers, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Institute of Deficiencies in Development attached to the Public Health Graduate School of the Medical Sciences Campus, the College of Nurses or their respective representatives, taking into account that should the Secretaries or Chairpersons of said agencies or entities decide to send representatives, they shall make sure that the same have academic preparation and vast experience in the rendering of services to persons with disabilities, and representatives of acknowledged organizations, that offer services to persons with disabilities. For the purposes of representation in the interdisciplinary group of recognized organizations that render services to persons with disabilities to design trainings to assist persons with disabilities, the Secretary of the Department of the Family may call upon those representatives he/she deems pertinent, but there should not be less than three (3).
(b) Interdisciplinary group for the design of the training curriculum for basic care of elderly persons. — This interdisciplinary group shall be composed of the Secretary of the Department of the Family, who shall preside over the group, the Administrator of the Families’ and Children’s Administration of the Department of the Family, the Administrator of the Socio-Economic Development Administration, the Executive Director of the Office of the Affairs of the Elderly, (OGAVE, Spanish acronym), the Secretary of the Department of Education, the Secretary of the Department of Health, the College of Social Workers, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the College of Nurses, Gerontology Program of the Public Health Graduate School of the Medical Sciences Campus, Geriatrics Unit of the Medical Sciences Campus or their respective representatives, taking into account that should the Secretaries or Chairpersons of said agencies or entities decide to send representatives, they shall make sure that the same have academic preparation and vast experience in the rendering of services to elderly persons, and representatives of recognized organizations that offer services to elderly persons. For the purposes of representation in the interdisciplinary group of recognized organizations that render services to elderly persons to design trainings to assist persons with disabilities, the Secretary of the Department of the Family may call upon those representatives he/she deems pertinent, but there should not be less than three (3).
(2) The Department of the Family is hereby empowered to call upon the agencies or entities it deems pertinent to participate in the design of training courses through the interdisciplinary groups and shall be subject to the recommendations of potential candidates submitted by the different agencies and entities, public or private, concerned in the health field, education, and services to elderly persons respectively. The interdisciplinary groups shall meet as frequent as they deem necessary, at the request of the Department.
(3) The interdisciplinary groups shall have the following powers and duties:
(a) Make recommendations for the establishment of the public policy which shall govern the functioning of the Program, including the compilation of data on the composition and particular needs of the persons with disabilities and elderly persons, as well as the composition of the population who receive economic assistance from the Government, in order to identify the sector that may participate on the Program, the regions to be beneficiated [sic], the areas with priority, the human and technical resources, physical facilities that shall be needed, determine the dates on which the interdisciplinary groups shall meet, as well as any other matter deemed pertinent.
(b) Advise in the establishment of the criteria which shall guide the design of the training curriculum to be used to train selected participants in the criteria for the certification of instructors or persons qualified to conduct courses; and in the design of the certification procedure in order for the Administration to certify the participants who approve the same.
(c) Revise each particular interdisciplinary group, the training courses designed by the same every three (3) years, to temper them to the educational trends and visualize if the same need any necessary changes.
History —June 1, 2002, No. 72, § 3; Dec. 19, 2003, No. 312, § 1.