Find out what pension you are entitled to based on your degree of disability.

There are different types of permanent disability pensions which, in their contributory form, try to cover the loss of salary or professional income suffered by a person, when, being affected by a pathological or traumatic process derived from an illness or accident, their work capacity is reduced or eliminated in a presumably permanent way.

Anyone in the aforementioned situation can apply for a permanent disability pension to compensate for losses in their salary or professional income. It should be noted, however, that applicants must be covered by a Social Security scheme and meet the established requirements.

Currently, four degrees of disability are distinguished:

– Partial permanent disability: causes the worker a reduction of at least 33% in normal performance for that profession, without preventing them from carrying out its essential tasks. The amount consists of a lump-sum compensation (24 monthly payments of the regulatory base used to calculate the temporary disability from which the permanent disability derives).

– Permanent total disability for the usual profession: This prevents the worker from performing all or the essential tasks of that profession, but they can engage in a different one. In this case, the benefit amount is 55% of the corresponding regulatory base, depending on the cause of the disability. This percentage may be increased by an additional 20% for those over 55 years of age when, due to their lack of general or specialized training and the social and labor circumstances of their place of residence, it is presumed that they will have difficulty obtaining employment in a different activity than their usual one.

– Permanent total disability: completely disables the worker from any profession or occupation. Its amount consists of 100% of the corresponding regulatory base.

– Severe disability: the incapacitated person, as a result of anatomical or functional losses, needs the assistance of another person to perform the most essential acts of life, such as dressing, moving around, eating or similar.

The amount of the pension for severe disability will consist of the amount of the pension corresponding to permanent incapacity (total or absolute), increased with a supplement intended to remunerate the person who attends to the beneficiary (45% of the minimum contribution base in force in the General Scheme at the time of the event giving rise to the benefit, whatever the scheme in which the pension is recognized, and 30% of the last contribution base of the worker corresponding to the contingency from which the situation of permanent incapacity derives).

When applying for any type of permanent disability pension, it is necessary to meet a series of general and contribution requirements, which will vary according to the degree of disability.

The minimum amounts for permanent disability pensions in 2016 are as follows:

Permanent disability pensions will be renamed retirement pensions when beneficiaries reach the age of 65. This change in the pension's name will not imply any modification to the conditions of the benefit currently being received, nor will it alter the legal framework governing any benefits that may derive from it.

It is useful to know the types of permanent disability pensions that exist, therefore our specialists are available to provide comprehensive advice on this matter.

Sonia Rodríguez
Labor Area

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