Seguridad Social, Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha y Mutuas suscriben el convenio para la mejora de la salud de las personas trabajadoras en situación de incapacidad temporal 

The Secretary of State for Social Security and Pensions, Borja Suárez, has today presented in Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha) the agreement signed between the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, the Mutual Social Security Collaborators (MCSS) and the Association of Mutual Workers (AMAT) for the improvement in the management of temporary disability (IT) and its health care in the scope of this autonomous community, by accelerating its unnecessary diagnostic processes and prolongation.

Suárez, who presented the agreement with the Minister of Health of Castilla-La Mancha, Jesús Fernández, stressed that “we are very pleased to sign this new agreement that will contribute, without doubt, to a better use of the means of assistance of the mutual collaborators of the Social Security for the improvement of the health of the workers of Castilla-La Mancha, by allowing a better and faster recovery in processes of traumatological origin.”
“We hope that other autonomous communities will soon join this initiative that seeks an improvement of the management of temporary incapacity through greater use of public services.

Fruit of dialogue and work between administrations

The Secretary of State stressed that “dialogue and joint work between administrations makes it possible for us to reach agreements that directly improve people’s lives. And it does so because understanding and cooperation between institutions allows rapid and effective responses to the needs of society, ensuring that advances reach those who need them most; in this case, workers.”

For his part, the Minister of Health of Castilla-La Mancha has pointed out the advantages of this agreement: “For the patient, the recovery of their health and optimal reincorporation; for public health, relief of the care burden and decompression of waiting lists in processes of specialties related to traumatology; for Social Security, the reduction of the average duration of the IT processes and optimization and efficiency of spending on benefits; and for the global system, the maximum use of resources and institutional coordination.”

It is the fifth agreement that is signed with an autonomous community, after the one signed with the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Asturias and Cantabria, and that is added to the one signed with the Institute of Health Management (INGESA), for the scope of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. All of them originate from what was agreed at the Social Dialogue Table, in July 2024, for the development of the Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining (AENC), in relation to the involvement of the Mutuas, in collaboration with the autonomous Public Health Services, in the processes of IT, through the conduct of diagnostic tests in pathologies of traumatological origin. It is part of the work being done to improve the management of temporary disability benefits and the recovery of workers’ health.

IT due to traumatological pathologies

This agreement will be applied to the IT processes derived from common contingencies of traumatological origin that affect workers in this situation when the coverage of the economic benefit corresponds to a mutual collaborator with the Social Security in Castilla-La Mancha.

For its development, the Mutual will make available to the Public Health Service, always on a voluntary basis with the informed consent of the patient and through the INSS, the sanitary actions it deems necessary for the performance of diagnostic tests, therapeutic and rehabilitative treatments, including surgical interventions.

The agreement stresses that the primary care physician will be responsible for the recognition of medical leave and discharge, the determination of the initial diagnosis and, where appropriate, the modifications of diagnosis that may occur and the full determination of health care.

This collaboration aims to alleviate the care burden and waiting lists of Public Health Services, as well as reduce the duration of Temporary Disability processes and improve the health of working people.

The agreement provides for the establishment of a Follow-up Commission to monitor and control its implementation and the commitments made by the parties, as well as the evaluation of the operation and the proposal of the adoption of necessary measures to improve its effectiveness and promote its implementation.

This collaboration, which is intended to be extended soon to the rest of the autonomous communities, will be valid for four years and will be extended, subject to an express unanimous agreement between the parties, up to four more years.