Overview
- Official SAAD data through June 2026 show the national dependency waitlist fell 21% year on year to 142,887 and that 1,707,328 people were receiving benefits, a record high.
- Average processing time has dropped to 314 days, its lowest level in two years and down from a 2021 peak of 421 days, but performance varies widely across regions.
- Some autonomous communities resolve claims in months — Ceuta (82 days), Aragón (117) and Castilla y León (120) — while others still exceed a year, led by Murcia (551 days), Andalucía (435) and Asturias (425).
- The government approved a royal decree-law to add €6.2 billion for 2026–2027 and says the financing plus planned reforms of disability and dependency laws will 'refound' the system; the June figures do not yet show effects from that funding.
- Sector associations dispute the official totals and report higher unmet-need figures and deaths while waiting, creating a measurement and policy debate that will shape committee votes on the legal reforms and how regional budgets are used.