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When care suddenly becomes an issue on the Costa Blanca

When care suddenly becomes an issue on the Costa Blanca

What support the public system provides - and how access actually works in the Comunitat Valenciana

A fall, a diagnosis or the point at which everyday life no longer works without help: Then a practical question quickly arises, even on the Costa Blanca. What services are covered by the public system in Spain - and what needs to be organised privately?

The basis for this is Ley 39/2006, the Spanish Dependency Law. It regulates when a person is officially considered to be in need of care, how they are categorised and what benefits they can receive as a result. The Comunitat Valenciana is responsible for its implementation on the Costa Blanca. The procedure is initiated via the social services of the municipality in which the person concerned is registered.

No entitlement without recognition

Benefits from the public system are not automatic. The Situación de Dependencia must first be officially recognised. Only then is a decision made as to which benefits the person is entitled to.

Categorisation is based on three care levels:

  • Grado I: considerable need for support
  • Grade II: severe dependence with repeated help in everyday life
  • Grade III: extensive and permanent need for assistance


In the Comunitat Valenciana there is also a procedure for Grado III+ in cases of extreme dependence. However, this does not apply as a rule.

Which requirements apply

Simply living on the Costa Blanca is not enough to gain access to the system. Officially, the procedure requires five years' residence in Spain, two of which must be immediately prior to submitting the application. Proof of empadronamiento also plays a key role. For foreign applicants, the requirements of Spanish immigration law and existing international agreements also apply.

What services are provided

The Comunitat Valenciana distinguishes between specific services and financial benefits. The official catalogue of services includes

  • Promoción de la autonomía
  • Ayuda a domicilio
  • Teleasistencia avanzada
  • Centro de día
  • Atención residencial


There are also financial benefits such as

  • Asistencia personal
  • Cuidador no profesional


In practice, this means that help can be organised as a specific service, but also as a cash benefit if this is specified in the procedure and in the individual help plan.

Support at home

Those who are able to remain in their own flat or house despite limitations are often initially provided with outpatient care. This primarily includes home help, teleassistance and, depending on the case, connection to a day centre. Personal assistance or care in the family environment can also be part of the approved services.

When home care is no longer enough

If support at home is no longer sufficient, day centres, assisted living or inpatient facilities can be considered. The Generalitat runs Atención residencial, Residencias and certain centros de carácter convivencial, among others. For older people in need of care, there are places in the public system as well as private facilities in the province of Alicante.

It is important to note that a recognised care level does not mean that a place is immediately available. Time can pass between categorisation, assistance plan and actual allocation.

Cash benefits instead of service

The system not only provides for specific services. Cash benefits are also possible, for example for personal assistance, for care in the family environment or as a benefit linked to a service. Which option is approved depends on the care level, the individual situation and the defined PIA.

How the process works on the Costa Blanca

The application is made in the Comunitat Valenciana to the social services of the municipality in which the person concerned is registered. It can be initiated via the municipal service or via the administrative channels provided by the Generalitat.

https://www.gva.es/es/web/arees/familia-i-servicis-socials

Depending on the case, the documents may include proof of identity, proof of registration, medical documents and other forms. If the data retrieval is not authorised, the DNI or NIE and proof of empadronamiento must be attached.

Once the application and documents are complete, the assessment follows. The competent authorities announce the date for the assessment. An informe social de entorno, i.e. a social report on the personal environment, is also included. On this basis, the specialised body prepares a technical report with a proposal on the level of care and possible benefits.

The administration then issues the decision. If the wishes stated in the application match the social report and categorisation, the PIA can be decided directly. If this is not the case, a proposal is first drawn up on which the person concerned can comment.

What is often underestimated

The decision alone does not trigger immediate benefits. There can be months between the application, assessment, decision and actual start of benefits. If you need support, you should therefore not wait until an acute emergency to start the process.

It is also important to note that if the state of health deteriorates, a reassessment can be requested. The Generalitat expressly mentions improvement, deterioration or errors in diagnosis or categorisation as reasons for a review.

Who pays what share

Dependencia benefits are not a free, all-inclusive service. The law stipulates that beneficiaries contribute to the financing of the benefits according to the type and cost of the service and their economic capacity. Income and assets are taken into account for this economic capacity.

Private supplements often remain necessary

On the Costa Blanca, many families also rely on private help: hourly care, private care services, 24-hour staff or private residences. This is often not a matter of convenience, but a response to waiting times, staff shortages or a need for care that has to be organised at short notice.

For German pensioners, for example, this means 

Anyone receiving benefits from German long-term care insurance should clarify early on with the relevant long-term care insurance fund what is actually covered abroad. Cash benefits can continue within the EU under certain conditions. However, this does not mean that Spanish nursing home or care costs are automatically covered.

Care on the Costa Blanca is clearly regulated by law. However, access is not automatic in the Comunitat Valenciana, but requires an application, assessment, decision and assistance plan. Anyone living here permanently should be familiar with the procedure, prepare documents in good time and not wait too long in the event of a deterioration.

For each nationality, the corresponding national rules apply to additional benefits from the home country. There may therefore be further possibilities for support from the country of origin.