Nearly 10,000 Andalusians in a situation of economic vulnerability each year begin a complex administrative process to apply for a non-contributory pension. It is a benefit managed by the Junta de Andalucía, although it is financed by the central government, to guarantee basic resources to people over 65 or disabled who do not reach an income threshold annual minimum. The law sets a maximum deadline of 90 days to resolve these files.. However, in Andalusia, the average response time of the almost 10,000 Andalusians who process their request each year is more than seven months and in the case of the province of Cádiz, the average time is more than a year.
Three official data reflect the administrative traffic jam that exists in Andalusia. First, Imserso, in its official balance sheet, reflects that of the community The year 2023 closed with 6,242 files awaiting resolution of non-contributory retirement and disability pensions. This represents 24% of the slopes in all of Spain. And it places the autonomous community at the head of the 17 autonomous communities.
Secondly, in a response from the Ministry of Social Inclusion, Youth, Family and Equality to the socialist parliamentary group, it is recognized that The average time in Andalusia for these files is 211.55 days, seven months. But the indicator is worse in the province of Malaga, where the wait is close to a year, and in Cádiz, where it takes up to 14 months to access this benefit.
Thirdly, the ministry’s data shows that in Andalusia there is a trend opposite to that of the rest of the territories. Although the average age of the population is increasing and the per capita income of the autonomous community is among the lowest in Spain, The number of non-contributory pension beneficiaries has decreased in Andalusia. Fewer and fewer people can benefit from this benefit. In 2017, Andalusia had 100,646 beneficiaries of disability and retirement pensions. Seven years later, there are 92,105 people. However, the trend is opposite in the other large Spanish communities: Catalonia increased from 58,706 to 67,656; The Valencian Community went from 48,893 to 50,557 and Madrid had 40,619 beneficiaries and today it has 42,056.
The Andalusian Parliament addressed this reality this week. And the debate, at the initiative of the PSOE, concluded with a unanimously approved proposal: “Urge the Ministry of Social Inclusion, Youth, Family and Equality to adopt the necessary measures to accelerate the procedures for resolving non-contributory benefits and that they are resolved within the legally established deadlines.
The PP, through deputy Juan Antonio Márquez, supported his favorable vote. According to his account, the Ministry already has a process underway to reverse this situation and is confident that from the end of 2024 it will deliver results: “Measures are being adopted to resolve the procedures within the legal deadlines and the ministry hopes to have results by the end of this year. Actions are being developed such as the automation of all processes.
Session of the Andalusian Parliament
From the PSOE, the deputy José Luis Ruiz Espejo regretted this existing traffic jam in the processing and especially its impact on a population in a vulnerable situation: “It is essential to accelerate the process of processing pensions and adapt to the 90 days which is what the law says because Those who fall behind are the most vulnerable population“.
Non-contributory pensions are a benefit received by people over 65 and disabled people who They have annual incomes below a ceiling that the law sets at 7,250 euros. The aid is quantified at 7,250 euros per year distributed in monthly payments and, in the case of Andalusia, it is also supplemented by extraordinary aid provided by the ministry and which this year 2024 is set at 178 euros.
