The Catalan authorities have announced the launch of a large-scale plan for the urgent reduction of waiting times for receiving dependent care assistance. The decision comes amid a record number of applications and prolonged processing times—residents are currently waiting for support for over a year on average. Already in June, nearly 80,000 people will receive payments and confirmation of status, with 25 million euros allocated for the program’s implementation.
Emergency measures and new rules
As announced by Catalonia’s president, Salvador Illa, the government is approving a special decree allowing for the hiring of 200 new specialists to expedite application processing. As a priority, 18,000 people with confirmed third-degree dependency will receive payments without delay. Another 65,000 families, where relatives serve as caregivers, will benefit from accelerated case review.
Shift to a medical model
The main goal of the reform is to shift the support system from an administrative to a medical approach. From now on, the degree of dependency will be assessed jointly by doctors and social workers at home, rather than solely through bureaucratic procedures. In a pilot project in Vic, the review period has already been reduced significantly. In the coming months, the number of assessment teams will increase from 25 to 375, and 107 social services will be added.
Long-term changes and scaling
From September to March, the pilot scheme is planned to be expanded to one million residents. Authorities emphasize that this is not a one-off measure, but a structural reform aimed at making access to care as easy as visiting a doctor. According to Illa, the support system is struggling to cope with demographic changes: in 2025 alone, 158,000 applications were submitted—twice as many as ten years ago. Currently, almost 253,000 people are under care.
Funding and political context
Despite the absence of an approved Catalan budget, funding for the plan has already been included in an additional credit approved by parliament. Illa noted that the ‘Cura Plan’ will be the most ambitious reform in the field of care for dependents in the past 20 years. In his speech, he also stressed that the region’s economy shows steady growth, and according to him, Catalonia is moving toward becoming the best place to live in Europe.
Issues of social support and reforming the care system for vulnerable groups are becoming increasingly relevant against the backdrop of demographic changes. Similar challenges are being discussed at the national level, where, as RUSSPAIN notes, authorities use social initiatives to strengthen their positions in the context of political competition. More about how the Spanish government is responding to internal challenges can be found in the article about the government’s strategies amid debates over social policy priorities.
