The new dependency law brings more aid to grow old at home and fewer procedures for services
The Congress approves a reform of the dependency and disability system with the votes of the parties that support the Spanish executive
Madrid / Barcelona"This July 14th will be remembered as the day our care system was refounded". The Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, thus highlighted a day on which Congress approved by majority two transcendental issues for the care system: a decree-law is validated to oblige the State to contribute, for the first time, 50% of the funding for services provided for in the dependency law; and also that telecare becomes a universal service for all dependent people (currently subject to age criteria or co-payment). In fact, Bustinduy has compared the new legislation with the pension system established in the 20th century or with access to universal education and healthcare. The new scenario should benefit the 300,000 dependent people and the 130,000 on the waiting list in Catalonia, the "community with the longest waiting list, which has already approved a shock plan to speed up the procedures for collecting aid while they wait for a residential spot. Every day, thirty Catalans die without having received any help.
The state dependency law was born twenty years ago with the objective that the State would contribute half the cost of services, but in reality state investments have been reduced and it has been the communities that have assumed the bulk of the bill, along with the beneficiaries. Starting from the reform, the State will double transfers to the autonomies for this concept with a record of 7,239.4 million next year, conditioned on compliance with a series of criteria with the objective that the communities increase coverage in services and in more hours of attention. The council of ministers has approved an extra financing of 904 million euros.
Non-family caregivers
The reform responds to demands from groups of people with disabilities and dependents, and their families, who due to the deficit of services and meagre benefits have had to cope with their economic and personal resources in caring for a family member. One of the major demands that have been met is the end of the incompatibility regime for receiving different benefits and services at the same time, such as attending a day center and having home care. In this area, the rule is modernized and expands its focus beyond blood relatives, recognizing new cohabitation models so that people in the environment without family ties (flatmates, neighbors, or unofficial partners) can register as primary caregivers and, therefore, can contribute to carrying out this task.
Among the major innovations is the figure of personal assistance, which is designed to accompany the beneficiary of the law to carry out daily activities such as go shopping or to medical appointments with the aim of meeting needs beyond domestic and care attention to try to delay the move to a nursing home as much as possible. In addition, for the first time, teleassistance becomes a subjective right for anyone with recognized dependency and they will have a bracelet with geolocation. On the other hand, procedures are streamlined and a single gateway for dependency and disability is created, which should avoid duplication of procedures, so that dependency level I (the lowest) will directly be equivalent to having 33% disability recognized, and levels II and III up to 65%.
The approval of the reform of the dependency and disability laws has had the support of the PSOE and Sumar, and of the other parties that endorsed Pedro Sánchez's investiture, although they have criticized its lack of ambition. On the other hand, the PP and Vox have aligned to vote against it, even though the popular ones did add their votes to shield the State's 50% contribution.
In the reactions chapter, the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services has underlined that the priority must be the 255,450 people on waiting lists throughout the State (in Catalonia, twelve months on average), and has set homework for the communities: increase benefits, increase service intensity, and improve the salaries and working conditions of the dependency system staff, especially those of home help service auxiliaries and residential staff.
