House commission orders documents, signals subpoenas after operator of Juana Díaz veterans home files Chapter 11

The Commission on Federal and Veterans Affairs of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives opened a public hearing July 17, 2025, under Resolution 161 to review the current status and operation of the Casa del Veterano Roberto González Vázquez in Juana Díaz after the facility’s private operator, Ambassador Betrance Services (ABS), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 13, 2025.

The hearing focused on service continuity for residents, outstanding licensing and inspection issues, and financial and contractual disputes between ABS and the government. Representative José Aponte Hernández, president of the commission, said the session was called after an ocular inspection June 4 and subsequent document requests. Representative Luis Pérez Ortiz authored the resolution that prompted the inquiry.

The Office of the Procurador del Veterano appeared via its head, Agustín Montañés Altman, who described a chronology of events the office has tracked: the facility’s first-floor domiciliary (licensed by the Department of the Family) lost its license effective Jan. 19, 2025; ABS notified third parties it had filed a Chapter 11 petition on June 13; and the Procurador’s office learned of the bankruptcy from the federal bankruptcy court roughly two weeks after the filing. Montañés Altman said ABS had been working to reapply for a domiciliary license for 10 beds as of June 5 and that the Department of the Family had listed multiple corrective requirements.

"Nos enteramos cuando se nos envió…la notificación sobre la quiebra," Agustín Montañés Altman, procurador del veterano, told the commission, describing the office’s timeline for receiving official notice from the bankruptcy court.

Why it matters: the Casa del Veterano houses veterans with nursing and assisted-living needs; federal reimbursements and state licensing determine whether payments continue and what services can be provided. Lawmakers repeatedly pressed for documents and for the operator to appear, citing potential harm to residents if payroll or operations stall.

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