The Government seeks to terminate more than 220,000 fraudulent disability pensions

The audits being carried out by the Government of Javier Milei, through the Ministry of Health of the Nation and the National Disability Agency (ANDIS), on the universe of more than 1,800,000 beneficiaries of Non-Contributory Pensions with a Single Disability Certificate (CUD) revealed situations ranging from the absurd to the outrageous. A large part of these benefits, especially those granted under the criterion of Labor Disability, were awarded as part of a policy of arbitrary subsidies during the administrations of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Alberto Fernández, instead of responding to rigorous medical evaluations and genuine social needs linked to situations of vulnerability. The irregularities detected are alarming: certificates accrediting nonexistent amputations, a single X-ray used in 150 different files, unusual diagnoses like "flat foot", a woman who impersonated her husband by disguising herself, inmates from the penitentiary system who attended evaluations, and even deceased individuals who continued to receive the monthly $270,000 state benefit.

In the framework of the reorganization of the non-contributory pensions for labor disability (PNCIL), the Government of Javier Milei, through the management led by Minister Mario Lugones, began a massive audit process last February. The first stage included sending 300,000 document letters, and by April that number had already risen to 470,000 notifications, of which 248,877 were delivered. According to official data, the remaining 221,189 could not be delivered for the following reasons: - 70% of the cases: the beneficiary's address was incomplete or incorrectly declared. - 10%: the people who received the letter said they did not know the recipient. - 928 people had already died, but a third party continued to collect the pension. - 11,000 beneficiaries moved without notifying their new address. - 3,900 refused to receive the notification. - 100 people directly renounced the benefit after receiving the document letter. From the National Disability Agency (ANDIS) they confirm that there are currently 224,657 pensions under review that could be canceled in the short term as a result of these inconsistencies or irregularities. So far, 83,616 medical interviews have been conducted and another 128,660 evaluations are scheduled as part of the review process.

The potential savings

According to the data released by Lugones's team, the audits on these pensions constitute a "progressive process covering more than a million cases and seeking to ensure that Non-Contributory Pensions for Labor Disability comply with the established legal criteria and ensure that the benefit reaches exclusively those who need it according to decree 842/2024". If the estimates made by the Ministry of Health and the National Disability Agency (ANDIS) are confirmed, the government led by Javier Milei anticipates savings of 900 billion pesos during 2025, which represents more than 700 million dollars.