Just four months ago, the Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, presented the changes in the dependency system in Spain, among which an increase in the aid of up to 660 euros per month as part of an ambitious investment by the Government of 2,216 million euros. Now, the Imserso (Institute for Seniors and Social Rights) has published on its website a report from the System for Autonomy and Care of Dependency (SAAD) in which it is confirmed that 150,760 people have a recognized right, but do not receive an effective benefit as of September 30.
The majority, 117,017, are waiting for the resolution of the Individual Care Program (PIA), which will be the one that specify what benefits or services they are entitled to. And to these we must add 33,743 who have the program already approved, but who are not receiving any aid.
In the month of September, which is when the report was closed, there were 1,782,644 people who had the PIA resolution, 105,602 girls than there were in 2025, of whom 1,748,901 received at least one effective benefit, either as a service or as financial aid.
The waiting list increases in the care program
As pointed out by this organization, which depends directly on the Ministry of Bustinduy, the number of people who have the right recognized, but who are waiting to find out about their care program, increased from 107,327 in December 2025 to 117,017 in September 2026, an increase of 9,690 people (9.03%) during the first nine months of the year.
Many of them are still waiting and, as indicated in the documentation that can be consulted through the web From the Imserso (SAAD Featured Information, monthly statistics), there are 89,162 people dependent on the PIA for six months or more, but there is no reason for exclusion not attributable to the administration.
On the opposite side, those who have the program already approved, where 6,398 have been waiting for six months for some benefit to become effective, without knowing if they are excluded. The official document points out that some benefits may not have started for reasons beyond the control of the administration, but that not all situations can be attributed to the same reason.
We must add 85,976 applicants who are waiting for their degree of dependency to be resolved, which is a previous phase that occurs before beginning the general procedure and which is not counted among the 150,760 people who already have the right recognized, but to whom no aid has been paid.
Murcia takes up to 529 days to resolve requests
Regarding the Autonomous Communities, there are differences between how long it takes for some and others to respond to requests. The average is about 293 days, nine and a half months. Murcia has the longest period, with 529 days, followed by Asturias with 413 days and Andalusia with 402. On the other hand, there are Aragón with 109 days and Castilla y León with 120.
How can this indicator be calculated? The first resolutions must be made, which are made between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, and it gives the time that passes until the benefit is approved, which does not mean that the service begins to be charged or provided.
38% of those dependent on the program are in Catalonia
Catalonia has the highest number of people with the recognized right pending resolution of the PIA, with 44,367. This represents 37.9% of the national total. Then there are the Community of Madrid with 13,281, the Basque Country with 12,772, the Valencian Community with 12,412 and Andalusia with 10,853. They are total figures that should not be interpreted without taking into account population differences and the size of the Autonomous Communities.
Despite these numbers, resolutions continue to increase. The 1,782,644 people who have the PIA approved are 6.30% more than in December 2025. The number of registered benefits reaches 2,582,569, 8% more.
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Sometimes, the same person may be assigned several benefits, such as telecare and home help. For this reason, the number of benefits is greater than the number of people served. The balance sheet for the month of September makes it clear that the approved care is being expanded, maintaining more than 150,000 people who have the right recognized and are waiting to receive new help.