Ley 57 del 2008
Resumen
Esta ley enmienda la "Automobile Accident Social Protection Act" para autorizar a la Administración de Compensaciones por Accidentes de Automóviles (ACAA) a aumentar los beneficios para personas lesionadas en accidentes de automóvil, previa autorización del Comisionado de Seguros de Puerto Rico. La enmienda busca ajustar los beneficios al costo de vida y otros factores, estableciendo un procedimiento similar al utilizado para los aumentos de primas anuales.
Contenido
(No. 57)
(Approved May 9, 2008)
AN ACT
To add clause
(k) to subsection
(l) of Section 5 of Act No. 138 of June 26, 1968, as amended, known as the "Automobile Accident Social Protection Act," in order to authorize the Automobile Accident Compensation Administration to increase the benefits received by injured persons with prior authorization of the Commissioner of Insurance of Puerto Rico.
STATEMENT OF MOTIVES
The "Automobile Accident Social Protection Act," is a social assistance law with the fundamental purpose of reducing to a minimum the tragic economic and social effects that are caused by automobile accidents for the victims and their families.
The benefits received by persons injured in automobile accidents have remained unchanged since the approval of the referred Act. As the years went by, the real value of the benefits for persons injured in automobile accidents has been reduced, taking into account the cost of living increase. This reality makes it necessary to create a speedy and effective procedure to adjust the benefits to the cost of living increases and with other factors. This measure proposes empowering the Automobile Accident Compensation Administration (AACA) to increase the benefits received by injured persons with the authorization of the Commissioner of Insurance of Puerto Rico.
Section 16(4)(3) of Act No. 138 at present provides that the annual premium shall be fixed by AACA with the approval of the Commissioner of Insurance. With this amendment, the manner of increasing the benefits for injured persons corresponds to the process provided by the Law for obtaining annual premium increases.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF PUERTO RICO:
Section 1.- Clause
(k) is hereby added to subsection (1) of Section 5 of Act No. 138 of June 26, 1968, as amended, known as the "Automobile Accident Social Protection Act," to read as follows: "Section 5.- Benefits (1) General:
(a) ...
(b) ...
(c) ...
(d) ...
(e) ...
(f) ...
(g) ...
(h) ...
(i) ...
(j) ...
(k) The Board of Directors of the Administration, with the approval of the Commissioner of Insurance of Puerto Rico, shall increase the benefits provided by this chapter, including payments for disability, medical-hospital services, dismemberment, death and funeral expenses benefits. The Office of Commissioner of Insurance shall have sixty (60)
days to determine the source or denial of the increase proposed by the Board of Directors of AACA. If said sixty (60) days elapse without any statement from the Office of Commissioner of Insurance, it shall be understood that there is no objection to the proposed benefits increase and they shall take effect immediately and/or on the date provided in the determination of increase made by the Board of Directors of AACA."
Section 2.-Effectiveness This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 57 (H.B. 2146) of the $7^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $15^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to add clause
(k) to subsection (1) of Section 5 of Act No. 138 of June 26, 1968, as amended, known as the "Automobile Accident Social Protection Act," in order to authorize the Automobile Accident Compensation Administration to increase the benefits received by injured persons with prior authorization of the Commissioner of Insurance of Puerto Rico, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $13^{ ext {th }}$ of June of 2008.
Francisco J. Domenech Director