Administrative failures leave disabled Sant Julià resident with inadequate pension and bank seizure

A resident of Sant Julià de Lòria with a recognized disability denounces a series of administrative failures and delays that left him extremely vulnerable. Medical reports state that he developed post‑traumatic stress disorder that evolved into a mental and behavioral disorder; he spent months on medical leave. When his incapacity was recognised, he was placed in group 1, which carries only a minimal pension. To qualify for group 2, with better financial conditions, he needed to prove the definitive closure of a business registered in his name. Although the business had ceased operating, the administrative deregistration could not be processed because he was incapacitated and had no legal representative to complete the paperwork.

That deadlock prevented recognition of group 2 and left him with an inadequate pension. For months he received only €224 a month, far below this year’s minimum wage of €1,447. Despite this, his bank accounts were seized to cover a €3,656 debt arising from self‑employment contributions that continued to accrue because the business could not be officially closed in time. The attachment was carried out without taking into account that his income fell below the legal threshold for seizure, with severe consequences for his mental health and family stability.

He says no one informed him of the rights and benefits available: he was unaware of a possible non‑contributory pension supplement, of social assistance options, or that people with incomes below the legal threshold are protected from attachment. A social worker at the primary care centre later helped him to regularise the situation. After months of litigation and the submission of documentation, the Social Security Fund (CASS) recognised the change to group 2 and granted the corresponding retroactive payments.

Following months of exchanges, appeals and administrative requests, the seizure was formally lifted this week, according to an official notification. After receiving some non‑contributory aid and the CASS adjustment, he now has a combined pension of €1,080 per month, which still remains below the legal minimum wage. He denounces institutional abandonment: “The suffering and pressure to which people with mental illnesses are subjected, without any help, support or information from the administration — a clear violation of fundamental rights — are not solved with image campaigns,” he says, adding that the whole family has been psychologically affected.