The biggest reform in the 20-year history of the dependency law is just one step away from coming to light. It foresees new services, such as care and support in homes for people with great support needs; improvements in others already existing, such as home help — which will be able to leave the houses to accompany users to errands like shopping — and also reduce bureaucracy, by creating a gateway that allows obtaining directly a certificate of 33% or 65% disability, if one already has any of the recognized degrees of dependency. This Wednesday, Congress will vote on whether or not to accept the amendments introduced last week in the Senate, where the PP has a majority. The same project also modifies the disability law, in which universal accessibility is recognized as a right, so it can be claimed before any instance.
The Minister of Social Rights and promoter of this reform, Pablo Bustinduy, has described it as a “refoundation” of the system, and considers it “the greatest legacy that the legislature will leave.” In addition to the legislative initiative, there is an unprecedented economic injection in dependency, amounting to 6.2 billion euros between this year and next, which the Government approved via royal decree law last June. There it reformed one of the financing routes of the law, by increasing the amounts that the Government transfers to the autonomous communities — responsible for managing the system — for each dependent person cared for. Thus, the Government will invest in 2027 practically double what it did in 2025. That is, it is not a one-time investment, but to modify it a reform with the rank of law would be needed.
The dependency system is, therefore, about to enter a new phase, by receiving much more money for the autonomous communities and having a new framework that flexibilizes the way of attending to users — although, like any new regulation, it will require some time to be deployed. All this, in a context where more and more population will reach advanced ages and will require support.
The reform advocates adapting to the needs of users and that those who wish can live as long as possible in their homes, in their neighborhoods. Hence the incompatibilities introduced in 2012 by the PP Government, which remain in force in many communities, are removed, giving them until 2030 to adapt their regulations. This will allow, for example, someone who goes to a day center to also receive hours of home help.
New services are also created, such as the provision of support products for personal autonomy, to be able to provide, for example, wheelchairs or walkers. And others that already exist are improved, such as day centers, which will become open to the community and will be able to provide services to people who live in their homes and need support (for example, meals for people who live alone).
There is another important novelty in dependency financing: the General State Administration will be required to contribute 50% of the certified expenditure by all the autonomous communities. Funding this regulation equally was a historic demand of the communities, and was included in the agreement between PSOE and Sumar. Until now, the cost of the law has been mainly borne by the autonomous communities. In 2024, the Government financed barely 27%. Social Rights foresees that by 2027 this 50% will be reached.
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In addition, the reform also brings changes in the field of disability. For example, the modification of the horizontal property law to reinforce the obligation to carry out accessibility works in private buildings, for example, installing a ramp or an elevator. Something important in a country where the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities estimates that about 100,000 people live isolated in their homes due to accessibility problems.
The issue is that the balance of power is different in Congress and in the Senate. So, although the spirit of the text remains unchanged — that users can decide about their life project — attention must be paid to the amendments. During the processing of the reform of both laws in the first of these Chambers, the text passed with only the votes against of Vox and the abstention of the PP, which criticized the reform for lacking an economic memorandum and generating “false expectations.” In the Senate, where the main opposition party has a majority, their votes in favor were incorporated and the bill passed without votes against, with only 23 abstentions (from parties like Vox, PNV, EH Bildu, ERC or BNG).
But there more than 40 amendments from the PP were incorporated there, in addition to 11 that this party agreed upon together with other political groups and another ten that were accepted from other formations, such as PNV or Junts. Among those presented exclusively by the PP, for example, is the repeal of a provision of the Lomloe education law that gave the Government and educational administrations ten years to transform ordinary centers so that they can adapt for the inclusion of students with disabilities. Among the amendments agreed with other formations, such as Junts or PNV, stands out the elimination of the age limit in the benefit received by families with children with serious illnesses (cume), now set at 26 years in cases where there is great dependency or a disability greater than 65%.
This Wednesday each of the amendments will be voted on. Both PSOE and Sumar made it clear in the Senate last week that they intend to accept the minimum possible changes. In addition, the Government will exercise its right to veto those that entail budgetary commitment (for example, the one related to the age limit of the cume, which the Ministry of Inclusion intends to review in another legislative initiative). But also others. The small print of the law will be decided in this Wednesday’s vote.
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