The benefit for caring for minors with cancer or other serious illnesses (CUME), which allows parents to reduce their working hours to care for their children, faces its biggest reform since 2011. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migrations presented a draft on June 16th to update the regulation, citing the need to resolve "interpretative and operational issues" identified through accumulated experience.
In Almería, this benefit supports a growing number of families. Ministry statistics show that active cases in the province have increased from 108 in 2023 to 160 in 2026, a rise of 48.1%. In the last full fiscal year, 2025, 80 new cases were initiated, compared to 63 in 2023, and finalized applications rose from 34 to 56.
Behind these figures are stories like that of Rosana Martín, mother of a teenager with 85% disability, or Eva Camacho, whose son requires special care. Both are closely following the reform, as it could influence the family balance they have achieved.
The draft incorporates demands such as recognizing that care can be provided at home, extending benefit extensions, and including new pathologies like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the association ASFACUME, representing thousands of families, expresses concern over changes that, in their view, alter the original spirit of CUME, focusing on medical care rather than direct and continuous parental care.
One of the most significant concerns for ASFACUME is the prominence the draft gives to specialist doctors in issuing reports, sidelining Primary Care, which handles the daily monitoring of many minors. Pediatrician Francisco Giménez Sánchez, from Hospital Vithas Almería, shares this view, suggesting that Primary Care and private centers should be involved in report issuance.
The association also views the potential inclusion of school hours in documentation with concern, believing it could lead to misinterpretations about the child's need for care. "The hours they are at school do not mean they do not need care," states Rosana. A medical inspection report every two years for chronic and irreversible conditions is also proposed.
The final text, to be determined after the public comment period, will outline which changes are approved. Any decision will directly impact families in Almería who depend on this benefit to balance work and the care of seriously ill children.
