Milei files bill to modify disability emergency law he refuses to comply with

The government introduced a new bill aimed at changing how people with disabilities access state subsidies in order to combat “fraud,” after detecting irregularities among those who receive them. The bill seeks to modify or repeal most provisions of the law known as the “disability emergency,” which was approved last year and granted increased funding for the sector. President Javier Milei vetoed the law after it was passed in 2025, but Congress overrode the veto and reinstated it. Since then, he has refused to comply with the bill, even after the judiciary ordered him on several occasions to release the funds. If the new provision is approved, people currently receiving an allowance because they are unable to work due to a disability would have to re-register to continue receiving it. Those who fail to register in time would see their subsidy suspended and, eventually, they could lose it. Beneficiaries could also see their allowances suspended if the disability secretariat detects irregularities in the audits the government began in 2025. The bill aims to set specific rules to “prevent, detect and sanction benefit fraud” while also safeguarding the rights and guarantees of “legitimate beneficiaries,” said a text accompanying the proposal signed by Milei, Health Minister Mario Lugones and Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni. Accusations of fraud According to the government, there was “an exponential increase” in the number of people receiving allowances for disabilities that affect their ability to work over the past two decades, rising from 76,000 in 2003 to 1.2 million in 2023. “The scale of the situation has raised inevitable suspicions regarding the conditions under which these benefits were granted,” the text said, which “have been confirmed by various investigations” that uncovered “a large number of pensions granted without meeting the legal requirements.” The national authorities said that “a significant number of irregularities” have been discovered through audits, “including cases of non-existent addresses, as well as instances where the required legal and medical criteria were not met.” This, they added, “results in an unjustifiable waste of the national government’s resources” and especially harms those who actually need the subsidies. The new bill While the new proposal maintains the amount of money people receive — equivalent to 70% of a basic pension — it would mean significant savings for the government as they expect the number of beneficiaries to be reduced by making requirements tougher: the disability has to be complete and permanent, and they have to be in an economically vulnerable situation to receive the allowance. In addition, those who get disability subsidies would be strictly banned from having registered jobs, which they currently can have either by traditional employment or by self-employment. Critics say that the bill attacks the concept of universal access to the subsidies, takes away rights and “demonizes” people with disabilities by focusing on accusations of fraud. On Monday, relatives of those affected filed a complaint against Milei for failing to comply with the disability emergency law and for “neglecting” people with disabilities. They accused the national government of systematically reducing benefit payments since the start of their administration, going against court rulings and promoting a discourse of contempt toward people with disabilities. Mentioned in the complaint is Diego Spagnuolo, former director of the now-extinct National Disability Agency, who is being investigated for allegedly taking part in a bribe scheme in which Presidency Secretary Karina Milei was also allegedly involved.