Catalonia will begin processing the ELA law aid applications next week

BarcelonaPatients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Catalonia will be able to apply for the benefit of the long-awaited ELA law Starting next week, a year and a half after its approval in the Congress of Deputies, the Catalan government will give the green light to its implementation at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, March 17th, and patients will be able to apply that same week. Once it receives an application, the Catalan executive will have a maximum of three months to respond, recognize the degree of disability, and provide the assistance. The Department of Social Rights estimates that there are around 200 people who can apply for Level III+ of extreme dependency—created specifically for this condition—which is intended to guarantee the rights of those suffering from it. incurable neurodegenerative disease to receive specialized service up to 24 hours a day if needed.

The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, announced this Wednesday the start of the implementation of the Spanish law agreed upon with ERC and the Comuns, as well as with the Catalan ALS Foundation Miquel Valls, the leading organization for this disease in the country. Apart from the financial benefit provided for in Spanish lawThe government will expand the aid with an additional allocation when a person needs 20 or 24 hours of daily care, reaching up to €12,300 and €14,700 per month respectively, so that the cost for patients in advanced stages is zero. ALS patients will have to undergo an evaluation process to determine if they meet the criteria for Level III+ disability. In Catalonia, this group has a specific channel jointly managed by the Departments of Health and Social Rights. Once their level of dependency is recognized, patients will have a unique care plan tailored to their needs and a designated professional who will be responsible for coordinating with the social and healthcare services they provide, as well as with their family. These professionals will report directly to the Department of Social Rights, which plans to hire additional staff, although it has not yet specified how many, with the aim of "avoiding disruptions in care" for patients. This professional, together with the other services providing care to the patient and their family, will determine the number of daily care hours and, therefore, the financial assistance.

Other illnesses and assistance

According to Spanish law, individuals diagnosed with ALS in an advanced stage of the disease will be eligible for benefits under the ALS Law. This also applies to those with neurodegenerative motor neuron diseases other than ALS, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, stroke, and spinal muscular atrophy types I and II. The president noted that, in this way, Catalonia will be one of the first autonomous communities to implement the Law approved by the Congress of Deputies, which positioned Spain as "the first country in Europe and one of the first in the world" to recognize this level of extreme dependency for ALS patients. The application for recognition of Level III+ dependency can be submitted electronically or in person and will require a medical report certifying at least two of the following three criteria: that the person requires ventilation support for more than 8 hours a day, daily suctioning of secretions, and immobility in the upper extremities. For the time being, approximately €20 million has been allocated in 2026 to reach all applicants. If granted, beneficiaries will receive between €5,000 and €15,000 per month. The amount of the benefit is phased in and adjusted according to the intensity of care required, ranging from a minimum of 8 hours to a maximum of 24 hours, in eight-hour increments. Therefore, an ALS patient requiring 8 hours of care per day will receive €4,900; if care is needed for 12 hours per day, they will receive €7,300; and if it is for 16 hours per day, they will receive €9,800. The Miquel Valls Foundation has previously stated that the costs of technical equipment, such as patient lifts, adjustable beds, or home adaptations, are not covered. In Catalonia, the foundation finances these expenses through equipment exchange programs. It should be noted that the disease progresses so rapidly that patients must periodically change their medical equipment to adapt to their needs, and often it is the families themselves (mothers, sisters, or daughters, especially) who take on the care due to the high cost of hiring specialist professionals.