Castilla-La Mancha adapts its dependency regulations to the new state Grade III+

The Governing Council of Castilla-La Mancha has approved Decree 55/2026, of September 29, which modifies various regulatory provisions regarding dependency care and social services. The regulation adapts the regional catalog of services and the dependency recognition procedure to the new Grade III+ of extreme dependency created by the State, with amounts of up to 9,859 euros per month. It is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM) no. 191, of October 5, 2026, with the official reference 2026/7132, and enters into force the day following its publication.

The decree responds to the approval of Royal Decree-Law 11/2025, of October 21, which modified Law 39/2006, of December 14, to create Grade III+ of extreme dependency and set at 9,859 euros the maximum amounts for the economic benefit linked to the home help service and the personal assistance economic benefit. It also develops Law 3/2024, of October 30, on the quality of life of people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other high-complexity diseases with an irreversible course, the criteria for which are defined by Royal Decree 969/2025, of October 28.

The Autonomous Community exercises its exclusive competencies in social assistance and social services in accordance with the Statute of Autonomy and harmonizes two of its own regulations with the state framework: Decree 3/2016, of January 26, regarding the catalog of services and economic benefits of the SAAD, and Decree 1/2019, of January 8, regarding the procedure for the recognition of the dependency situation.

Monthly amounts according to the contracted intensity

For people with Grade III+ of extreme dependency, the maximum monthly amounts for the service-linked benefit and the personal assistance benefit are calculated solely by brackets of monthly contracted hours:

• Equal to or greater than 150 hours/month: 3,200.00 euros
• Equal to or greater than 240 hours/month: 4,800.00 euros
• Equal to or greater than 320 hours/month: 5,760.00 euros
• Equal to or greater than 360 hours/month: 6,480.00 euros
• Equal to or greater than 480 hours/month: 8,160.00 euros
• Equal to or greater than 600 hours/month: 9,000.00 euros
• 720 hours/month: 9,859.00 euros

A minimum amount of 3,200 euros is also guaranteed when the contracted service is equal to or greater than that amount and the intensity reaches 150 monthly hours. Charged to the additional protection level of the Autonomous Community, the economic benefit for care in the family environment will be paid in its maximum amount for this grade and will be compatible with one of the benefits of article 19.1.c) provided that the recognized intensity is less than 480 monthly hours.

Requirements, deadlines, and retroactive effects

Recognition of Grade III+ requires having recognized Grade III dependency, a circumstance that will be verified ex officio, and accrediting the criteria of Royal Decree 969/2025 or being in an advanced stage of ALS according to the Agreement of the Territorial Council of Social Services and the SAAD of December 9, 2025. A medical certificate in a standardized form issued by the specialist of the Castilla-La Mancha Health Service (SESCAM) or the corresponding managing entity will be necessary.

Deadlines are shortened and organized as follows:

• Resolution of the recognition of the dependency situation and the right of access to benefits: three months from the entry of the application into the registry.
• Assessment of the socio-family environment by the social worker: fifteen days from its request, and ten days in priority cases.
• Review of the grade and the individual care program for persons included in Law 3/2024: three months from the application.

Priority in processing will be given to persons under six years of age, those over ninety years of age, and those included in the scope of Law 3/2024, who may access Grade III+ at the same time they are assessed for Grade III, being resolved in a single administrative act. Economic effects will occur from the date of the application, with coverage of the period prior to the resolution borne by the additional level of regional protection. The transitional provision allows for the retroactive request of the corresponding benefit for those who already had Grade III+ recognized before the entry into force, justifying the expenditure incurred.

Elderly centers, justification of benefits, and Ethics Committee

The decree also modifies Decree 2/2022, of January 18, on basic conditions for specialized care centers for elderly people, to adapt it to Decree 49/2024, of September 17, on pharmaceutical assistance in socio-sanitary centers. The nursing area becomes optional in mini-residencies and medium-sized residences, while large residences must reserve individual rooms equivalent to 3% of their total capacity; day centers shall have physiotherapy rooms of at least 40 m² and occupational therapy rooms of 30 m².

The justification of benefits linked to the service and personal assistance is simplified and set on a semi-annual basis, from January 1 to 31 and from July 1 to 31, through a certificate from the providing entity or invoices. Likewise, the requirements for the members of the Ethics Committee of Social Services and Dependency Care are flexibilized, which shall be composed of thirteen professionals, and the prior claim to the social jurisdictional route before the holder of the corresponding provincial delegation is regulated.

The regulation affects all dependent persons and their families in the region, as it reorganizes access to the services and benefits of the SAAD and raises the economic ceiling for home help and personal assistance. For people with ALS and other irreversible high-complexity diseases, the priority in processing and the retroactivity of the economic effects represent a direct improvement in care.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 191, of October 5, 2026, section I.- General Provisions, page 33796 (official reference: 2026/7132).