The Acting Secretary of the Family Department (DF), Dr. Eddie A. García Fuentes, reported that in the seven days that the active PAN application platform has been running, 13,438 applications have been evaluated, of which 3,348 were approved, 9,593 did not comply. with eligibility requirements and 497 waiting for supplemental information for approval. Through the digital platform, 71 thousand requests have been received.
“In seven (7) days of work, over 13 thousand requests have already been answered. This represents around 2,000 requests served daily and that number continues to increase. This week the goal is to double the number of requests served daily by having more staff available virtually. Over 140 more employees are joining this week remotely, implementing the Governor’s guidelines, ”said the Acting Family Secretary.
The official explained that these employees will have to work extended hours and Saturdays, since they will be working from their homes. These employees join the technicians already activated in all the regions of the island, complying with the health and safety guidelines in the workspaces for their protection. These offices will not serve the public. All procedures are carried out electronically or through 311.
“We know that the need of our people is great and we are going to make sure that everyone who qualifies enters the program. We are attending to this situation with a sense of urgency and using all the approved technological tools and waivers to streamline processes, while complying with the requirements of the federal program, to which we must respond, ”said the Acting Secretary of the Family.
The Acting Secretary affirmed that the platform has fulfilled its purpose of providing access to the request and has exceeded expectations with over 70 thousand requests received. The regions with the highest number of requests are Bayamón, San Juan and Carolina with over 10,000 requests. “We have received an unprecedented number of requests that duplicates those received after the passage of Hurricane Maria when 35 thousand requests were attended to in a period of one month,” recalled García Fuentes.
The Secretary called on applicants to make good use of this resource to allow people with real need to apply. He reported that a large number of applications have been found from people who already receive benefits or who are part of a family nucleus in the PAN, as well as incomplete applications.
Applicants should send the two required documents after completing the application to [email protected] These are: an official photo identification and documents that identify your address. These must be identified with their application number provided by the system when completing the process and with their full name to direct them to the corresponding region. The application can be accessed at the adsef.pr.gov and www.solicitudpan.com portals
On the other hand, the Secretary explained that through an alliance that the DF has with the Food Bank, over 400 thousand pounds of food have already been transferred, which are transferred to affiliated organizations and delivered to communities in need of food throughout the island.
Likewise, it reported the status of the allocation of $ 295 million approved by Congress for the PAN, detailing that the various scenarios have already been discussed with the federal government and are waiting for the federal guidelines to be published, to deliver the plan and begin disbursements as soon as possible.
“All the efforts of the ADSEF are focused on meeting the food needs of vulnerable populations and those families that are currently in difficult circumstances due to this health emergency,” said the official.
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