(a) The Centennial Living Treasures Award Program is established to recognize and honor senior citizens who reside in the Virgin Islands upon attaining their 100th birthday and to provide special recognition to those centenarians who are preserving Virgin Islands culture as defined in 3 V.I.C. § 408(b)(1).
(b) The Department of Human Services, Division of Senior Citizens Affairs, shall administer the awards program established in subsection (a) and shall:
(1) develop and maintain a genealogy database of all centennials, past and present, who are candidates or recipients of the award;
(2) identify all persons residing in the Virgin Islands who have attained their 100th birthday;
(3) quarterly submit the names, biographical information, and accomplishments of the award recipients to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands for passage of a resolution honoring the named recipient; and
(4) promulgate such regulations as necessary to carry out the purpose of this section.
(c) Upon a person’s 100th birthday, the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services shall award the centenarian a grant of $4,000 and upon the recipient’s death shall award $1,000 towards the recipient’s burial expenses.
(d) Recipients of the living trust award must have resided in the Virgin Islands for not less than 30 years and must be residing in the Virgin Islands when they attain the age of 100 years.
(e) Recipients of the award may reside at a private home or at a government facility.
(f) The Centennial Living Treasures Award Program Fund is established in the Treasury of the Virgin Islands as a separate and distinct fund administered by the Commissioner of Finance. The Fund consists of an annual appropriation by the Legislature of $25,000. The Commissioner of Finance shall disburse money from the Fund upon the warrant of the Commissioner of Human Services solely for grants to centenarians as provided in subsection (c).