Maria Vidal, a mother of two, has lived for decades with health problems, including Perthes disease, which cause her 69% motor disability. According to Correio da Manhã, the pain forced her to adapt daily tasks, to use a cushion on the car seat and prevented her from carrying heavy loads. Despite having her invalidity pension refused twice by Social Security, Maria argues that the medical documentation presented demonstrated her limitations and that she had the required years of service to receive the benefit.
Social Security explained that Maria stopped receiving sickness benefit in August 2025 because she was not considered unable to work. The mother of two revealed difficulties in bearing family expenses and contested the decision regarding the benefit.
The article clarifies that the recognition of a degree of disability and the assignment of an invalidity pension follow different criteria. To receive the pension, it is necessary to evaluate the permanent incapacity for work, under the terms of Decree-Law No. 187/2007, of May 10. The law distinguishes between relative invalidity, when a disability prevents the beneficiary from earning more than one third of their remuneration in their profession, and absolute invalidity, when there is permanent incapacity for any profession or work. The percentage of disability, considered in isolation, does not allow concluding that all conditions for receiving the pension have been met.
Without access to the administrative decisions and complete medical evaluation, it is not possible to conclude whether the criteria were correctly applied in this case. Maria Vidal publicly appealed for recognition of her situation. "I want justice to be done," she declared to Correio da Manhã.
