Spain: Families report difficulties accessing Social Security benefits

Families in Spain are reporting significant difficulties in accessing and maintaining the CUME benefit from Social Security, which is designed to compensate for income loss when caregivers must reduce working hours to care for children with serious illnesses.

Members of the association ASFACUME, which represents over 18,000 families, claim that private insurance companies (mutuas) are creating excessive bureaucratic hurdles or even withdrawing benefits despite medical evidence of continuous care requirements. One mother reported having her benefit revoked despite providing multiple medical reports confirming her daughter's lifelong need for insulin management and constant care due to Type 1 diabetes.

Separately, individual cases highlight systemic failures in the Social Security and medical inspection processes. One worker reported being unable to receive payments for months due to administrative errors regarding medical diagnoses, forcing him to rely on personal savings while navigating disputes between medical inspectors, employers, and insurance providers.