Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González welcomed the determination of the Boston Court of Appeals of Appeals where it establishes that a Puerto Rican can enjoy Supplemental Social Security benefits even if he resides in Puerto Rico.
“They have 45 days to file the appeal and can go directly to the Supreme Court,” González said regarding the decision that could bring a precedent. “The federal government can again request a reconsideration from the federal appeals court itself, a reconsideration ‘en banc’, where all the judges of the federal Court of Appeal bring it to a vote.”
If the federal government does not contest the appeal, some 300,000 people may be eligible to receive the benefit, González estimated.
“If this prevails, the Supplemental Social Security would automatically apply to Puerto Rico, to people 65 years of age or older, who live below the poverty level,” said the commissioner, adding that the benefit ceiling is $ 750 per month.
González understands that the federal government is inclined to file an appeal of the determination. “I understand that he is going to ask for a consideration and will follow until the last consequences because this does generate a precedent that would change the statute that today discriminates that in Puerto Rico the Supplementary Social Security is not received”
On the reactions of politicians about the partisan ideological implications that the decision brings, González said that the lawsuit is about an equality fight.
“This is a way forward towards the incorporation of Puerto Rico. If you want to see it politically speaking, this brings us closer to statehood, but I regret that there are people pending that when this has been a struggle of many legislative years, through the court. Equality for our people one has to look for them in all categories, “he concluded.
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