Brazil enacts law to accelerate INSS benefit processing

Brazil has promulgated Law 15.497, which aims to accelerate the processing of social security claims and reduce backlogs at the National Institute of Social Security (INSS). The new legislation reduces the timeframe for a process to be included in the Benefit Management Program (PGB) from 45 to 30 days.

Under the new rules, requests that remain without a conclusive response for 30 days, or those that have exceeded judicial deadlines, will be compulsorily transferred to the PGB task force. This task force involves administrative staff and federal medical experts who will prioritize these stagnant requests to expedite payments.

The scope of the program has also been expanded. While previously focused on the review of existing benefits, the PGB now includes the analysis of initial benefit concessions. This change follows the approval of Provisional Measure 1.369/2026 by the Senate, with reporting by Senator Zenaide Maia.