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Wednesday, 19 de octubre de 2011

Pierluisi Meets with Puerto Rico Veterans Organizations

San Juan, Puerto Rico-Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi met today with nearly twenty veterans organizations to brief them about his work on their behalf in the U.S. Congress, as part of his effort to maintain an open channel of communication with these organizations in order to effectively address the needs of the Island’s veterans’ population.

This is the second veterans round table discussion that the Resident Commissioner has held since his election to Congress.

“If there is any aspect of my job as Resident Commissioner that gives me the greatest satisfaction, it is without a doubt the opportunity this position gives me to meet with soldiers from Puerto Rico, including those who have been wounded in combat, and with the Island’s many veterans,” said Pierluisi.

During Pierluisi’s tenure in Congress, veterans facilities in Puerto Rico have received more federal funding than ever before in the Island’s history. Thanks in part to the efforts of then- Resident Commissioner, and now-governor, Luis Fortuño, the VA Medical Center in San Juan is undergoing a multi-year, multi-phase renovation and expansion that, upon completion, will transform this facility into one of the most modern in the VA system.

“Since I took office, the authorization of federal funding to modernize the VA Medical Center increased from $225 million to over $299 million. The renovation will now include the construction of a 1,500-space parking garage, which our veterans have been seeking for many years,” said Pierluisi.

The Resident Commissioner noted that additional VA health facilities are scheduled to be activated in the coming years, including major construction projects in Mayagüez and Ponce. In Mayagüez, the existing Outpatient Clinic will be replaced by a larger Outpatient Clinic that will provide primary and specialty care, mental health, radiology and pharmacy services. In Ponce, a $60.6 million Health Care Center—the VA’s second-largest category of facility behind a full-fledged hospital—will replace the existing Outpatient Clinic. This “mega clinic” will provide services that go well beyond those that are currently offered, and will reduce the need for veterans in the southwest part of the Island to travel to the VA Medical Center in San Juan for many types of care.

“It is also important to note that in the past two years, three new Community-Based Outpatient Clinics or Rural Health Clinics have been inaugurated in Utuado, Comerio and Vieques, and a fourth clinic will be opening soon in Ceiba,” said Pierluisi.

In addition, as a result of a joint effort with Governor Fortuño, Puerto Rico recently received over $7 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the construction of a state veterans cemetery in Aguadilla. “Although this cemetery is not a national cemetery, it is required to conform to the construction and maintenance standards prescribed by the VA. This accomplishment owes in large part to the decade-long efforts of Aguadilla Mayor CarlosMendez, who donated the land for this cemetery,” said Pierluisi.

The Resident Commissioner further noted that, in 2010, the VA provided over $20 million in funding to expand and improve the existing national cemetery in Bayamón.

Pierluisi also explained that he had secured $130,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to purchase vehicles for the State Veterans’ Home—La Casa del Veterano— in Juana Diaz, to be used to transport veterans to family and doctor visits.

The Resident Commissioner further noted that, in 2009, he introduced legislation to extend TRICARE Prime to military retirees in Puerto Rico. As a result of his initiative, the House Armed Services Committee in 2010 required the Department of Defense to prepare a report on the feasibility of making Prime available in Puerto Rico and the other territories. “We are currently awaiting this report. Depending on its results, I may introduce legislation on this issue again,” he said.

The Resident Commissioner has also been working to support Island veterans in other areas. In July, he wrote to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to request that the San Juan Regional Office be excluded from the 2012 consolidation of the VA Fiduciary Program, through which the VA provides assistance to veterans with mental or physical impairments. “As a result of that letter and a follow-up meeting that my office held with VA officials, Puerto Rico veterans will not be adversely affected by this consolidation,” Pierluisi explained.

Finally, in August, the Resident Commissioner wrote to President Obama, urging his Administration to include Puerto Rico in its “Returning Heroes” and “Wounded Warrior”
initiatives. Under these proposals, companies would receive a tax credit for hiring certain unemployed or disabled veterans.

“The President’s initiatives were made part of the American Jobs Act that he recently transmitted to Congress. And, thanks to our efforts, companies and veterans in Puerto Rico will benefit fully and fairly from these two tax credit programs if they are enacted into law,” said the Resident Commissioner.