Jenniffer González presents Puerto Rico Congressional Veterans Affairs Task Force

San Juan, Puerto Rico- Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, who during her term as Representative in the Island's Legislature was the author of the Puerto Rican Veterans Charter of Rights for the XXI Century, today gathered and presented the Resident Commissioner's Congressional Veterans Affairs Task Force, joining together various organizations and offices serving veterans and the military to draft an agenda to work to satisfy the needs of this population.

Among the needs identified during the discussions was the lack of specialists providers at the San Juan Veterans Hospital, which is short in such specialties as urologists, cardiologists and surgeons; the need to have an office to address veterans' fiduciary affairs locally; including residents in Puerto Rico in the Tricare Prime health care programs for pensioned veterans and active duty military families; compensation for health costs to those veterans in Puerto Rico who are not 100% benefits eligible; including veterans in the Earn Income Tax Credit extension; as well as housing, mental health, survivor and dependents' benefits and workforce reentry services, among others.

Other situations brought forward included the Veteran's Home in Juana Díaz and the need to restart the process to establish the Fisher House (for services to veterans' and military families) in Puerto Rico, as well as programs that have not been brought to Puerto Rico such as Boots to Food and Troops to Teachers, programs for agricultural enterprise and education and entrepreneurship, and reintegration programs for homeless and ex-convict veterans.

As the first Resident Commissioner to be part of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, González-Colón made an account of the committee's work agenda which includes a reform of federal Veterans Affairs legislation. She also made an accounting of various bills she has filed or co-sponsored such as el H.R. 95, that seeks for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assist in service provision to children of veterans; H.R. 97, to improve newborn services for veterans' families; H.R. 1005, to improve veterans' day care service; H.R. 1131 to require the Secretary to fill vacant positions as directors at VA Medical Centers; and H.R. 1545, to clarify the Secretary's authority to release patient information to state controlled substance monitoring programs.

At the meeting, it was agreed that two educational campaigns need to be started, one on benefits available for the veterans, and another for the greater community about respect for the veterans.

The congresswoman pointed out that the Veterans Benefits Office has some 93,200 veterans registered, but estimates range to as many as 50,000 eligible veterans or family members who do not receive their benefits in many cases because they do not even know they can apply for them or how. Therefore, together with various organizations, an education campaign will be started.

"Over 200,000 Puerto Ricans have served in the military in various conflicts and many have earned distinctions for their accomplishments, yet in Puerto Rico often there's little knowledge of the contribution of our service men and women. This requires us to launch a campaign to highlight out veterans' legacy and the respect they are owed", the Resident Commissioner expressed.

González-Colón mentioned as an example two distinguished military careers: Horacio Rivero and Carmen Contreras. Yesterday she attended a tribute to Admiral Horacio Rivero, native of Ponce, WW2 Veteran, highest ranking Puerto Rican US Navy officer; who commanded the blockade fleet during the Cuban Missile Crisis and later was NATO Naval Forces Commander and US Ambassador to Spain. The new facilities of the Operational Support Service of the US Navy Reserve at Fort Buchanan was given ADM Rivero's name in a ceremony on Saturday.

The Congresswoman indicated she would start the process for a special posthumous Congressional Award to Admiral Rivero.

Meanwhile, Carmen Contreras, the first Latina woman to serve in the US Army in World War 2 and cryptographer at Gen. Eisenhower's headquarters, who passed away recently and whose funeral at Arlington Cemetery the Resident Commissioner participated.

Sunday's meeting had the attendance on the government and military official side of the Hon. Guillermo Miranda Rivera, vice chair of the Puerto Rico House Retiree and Veterans Affairs Committee; Agustín Montañez, Puerto Rico Veterans' Advocate; MG (Ret.) Felix Santoni, former Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army; BG Fernando Fernández and José Olmos both of the Puerto Rico Veterans' Advisory Council, and former State Senator Lucy Arce.

National and local veterans' organizations represented at the event included: Association of the United States ARMY, Military Officers Association of America, 65th Infantry Regiment Retired Association, 82nd Airborne Division Association, Blinded Veterans of America Association, Disabled American Veterans, Asociación de Retirados de la Guardia Nacional, Paralyzed Veterans of America, The American Legion of Puerto Rico, The Military Order of the Purple Heart, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, Concilio de Veteranos y Soldados Puertorriqueños, The Military Order of the World War, Asociación de Reservistas de la Guardia Nacional y Veteranos, Retire Council- Fort Buchanan, representantes de las Mujeres Veteranas y de familiares y dependientes.

The Task Force expects to meet every four months. The veterans in attendance thanked the Resident Commissioner for her history of support of their causes and for taking the initiative to start this group effort.