Advocacy

People may face difficulty in probate court trying to acquire the property left to them by a deceased relative.

Español Dear Editor,

Español Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, You Tube, Yahoo, Gmail, icloud  – all but only some of the platforms and tools that connect us with our loved ones through technology. There is no doubt we are living the Digital Age.  Have you ever wondered what happens to your accounts created within these platforms after your passing? In the Virgin Islands, Family Caregivers who lost their loved one have struggled to obtain access to these accounts because once the owner of the accounts was pronounced deceased, the rights of ownership were maintained by these companies. But not anymore.  On January 12, 2018, Bill Number 32-1032, the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act also known as RUFADAA was signed by Acting Governor Osbert Potter into law.

If you are one of the 12,600 family caregivers in the Virgin Islands, you may be managing a loved one’s personal finances. Perhaps a Virgin Islands court has even appointed you as the person’s legal guardian. But what if you have to move away, or your loved one needs to go to a hospital on the U.S. mainland for medical care?

Español  It isn’t often that AARP Virgin Islands can proudly say they experienced a “slam dunk” of a day, but the volunteers and staff of AARP Virgin Islands are pretty proud of what was accomplished recently.

November 15, 2016

Virgin Islanders who care for an aging loved one at home just got a huge boost of support from the legislature. A new law, which took effect March 30, improves communication and coordination between hospitals and family caregivers.

En Español In a surprise move, Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth E. Mapp vetoed the Caregiving Bill (Bill Number 31-0237) late in March citing numerous concerns as justification for his veto. The AARP VI office received notification of the veto on Saturday, March 26 in the middle of the Easter Holiday weekend.

En Español After almost a year of interaction with first-time Senator Kurt Vialet, the Virgin Islands Caregiver Advice, Record and Enabling Act also known as the CARE Act unanimously passed the Committee of the Whole and went to the Governor for signature into law.

VI Government employees and retirees can breathe a little easier now, thanks to Senator Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly’s commitment to fulfilling a promise she made to the St. Croix Government Retirees, Inc.