Applying for Dependency Support Without Going Crazy: How AI Can Help You Get Started
A few days ago, someone I know told me that her mother needs to apply for official recognition of her dependency situation.
And the question came up that most of us would probably ask:
So, where do we even start?
Because knowing that the Dependency Law exists is one thing. Sitting in front of an electronic government website and thinking:
Where do I go?
What do I have to submit?
What documents do I need?
Does she have to do it herself, or can I do it for her?
And what happens afterwards?
So we decided to try something.
Instead of opening endless pages, searching for forms and ending up with twenty browser tabs open, we thought,
What if we used artificial intelligence to help us find our way?
Not to submit the application.
Not to decide whether she is entitled to support.
And certainly not to simply believe whatever it tells us without checking.
We wanted it to help us understand what we needed to do and in what order.
And that's how our little experiment began.
1. Before we start: Can she apply for dependency support?
This is the first point where I wouldn't simply ask AI: “Is she entitled to dependency support?”
I'd ask something much more useful:
“I want to apply for official recognition of dependency for my mother.
Before telling me whether she can apply, ask me whatever questions you need to understand her situation and tell me which general requirements I should check.”
Why?
Because this way we don't let AI fill in the gaps by itself.
Dependency is related to needing help from other people or significant support to carry out basic daily activities.
As a general rule, there are also residence requirements and other conditions that need to be checked.
But AI does not determine the degree of dependency.
That is the responsibility of the Administration and the official assessment process.
AI has a different job here:
helping us understand what we need to check before we begin.
2. What documents do we need?
This is the part that can very easily turn into a complete mess.
So I wouldn't ask:
“What documents do I need to apply for dependency support?”
Because it might give us a generic list that doesn't actually apply to our region.
Instead, I would ask:
“I'm going to apply for dependency support in [my region].
Look for the official information and make me a checklist of the documentation currently required.
Don't add any documents that aren't mentioned in the official source.”
And here we have a rule that we're going to repeat throughout this post:
AI helps us find and organise.
The Administration confirms.
For example, in the Balearic Islands, the current official information includes documents such as an ID card, a historical registration certificate proving the required period of residence, a recent health report and information about income.
It also explains that certain documents may be checked directly by the Administration in some circumstances.
That's why we shouldn't simply copy a list we find somewhere online.
We need to check what our own region requires and which documents the Administration can obtain directly.
3. Where on earth do I apply?
This is one of my favourite uses of AI.
Because very often we know what we want to do, but we can't find where to do it.
And this reminds me a lot of something that happened to me recently with another government procedure: I didn't need AI to do anything for me.
I needed it to find the door.
So we can ask:
“I live in [region] and I want to apply for official recognition of dependency. Find the current official procedure for starting the application.
I want the Administration's website, not a blog or an information page.
Also tell me whether I can do it online or whether I need to attend in person.”
And then comes the part we do ourselves:
we open the link and check that it really is the official procedure.
AI doesn't have to give us the perfect link first time.
What matters is knowing how to ask it to find the right door.
What if I don't live in the Balearic Islands?
No problem.
I'm not going to give you a list of links for every region here, because procedures and websites can change.
You can ask AI:
“I live in [your region] and I want to apply for official recognition of dependency.
Find the current official procedure for starting the application.
Tell me who manages it, where it is submitted, whether I can do it online and what I need to get started. Use official sources only.”
And then:
“Give me the direct link to the official page where I can start or check the procedure.
Make sure it corresponds to the dependency recognition procedure and not simply to a general information page.”
There is also official information available from the Spanish Institute for Older Persons and Social Services (IMSERSO) about the organisations responsible for managing dependency procedures in the different regions.
AI takes us to the door. We check that it is the right door.
4. We've found the procedure… now what?
This is where the fun begins.
Finding the procedure is one thing.
Understanding what on earth you're supposed to do once you're inside is another.
In the Balearic Islands, the dependency recognition application can be submitted online or in person.
The official information indicates that the application is submitted using the specific form available through the electronic government portal.
And this is where AI can help us again.
I don't tell it:
“Fill in the application for me.”
I tell it:
I'm on the Balearic Islands electronic government website, in the procedure for recognition of dependency.
I'm going to copy what appears on the screen.
Explain what each section means in simple language and tell me what information they are asking for.
If you can't know for certain, tell me.”
That's very different.
We don't want AI to guess.
We want it to translate what we're looking at.
And if we need to show it a screenshot, we first remove names, ID numbers, addresses, case numbers and any other personal information.
5. What about the health report?
This is another area where AI can help us understand things, but without turning it into a medical authority.
In the Balearic Islands, the official information states that an up-to-date health report is required for the initial dependency assessment.
It also considers situations where it may not be necessary to provide one if the relevant health information is already up to date in the regional health system.
Instead of asking AI:
“Do I need a medical report?”
we can ask:
“The official information for the Balearic Islands mentions a health report. Explain what it is and what I should check about this document before continuing with the application.”
And if we have a question about our particular situation:
“These are the instructions on the official website.
Explain what they mean and tell me which part I should confirm directly with the Administration or my health centre.”
AI can help us understand the information.
It shouldn't replace a doctor or the Administration.
6. What do we need to explain about the person?
This is a part I find particularly interesting.
When it comes to explaining the person's difficulties, we can suddenly find ourselves at a loss.
We know what happens at home, but we don't know how to organise it.
This is where AI can be really useful.
We can say:
“I'm going to describe in my own words the difficulties my mother has in her daily life.
Organise them by activity and help me express them clearly.
Do not add any difficulty that I haven't mentioned.”
That last part is important.
We don't want AI inventing symptoms, diagnoses or limitations.
We simply want it to help us organise what we already know.
For example, if we explain that she needs help showering, getting dressed, preparing food or moving around, AI can help us organise that information so that we can explain it more clearly.
But the official assessment of dependency is carried out by the Administration through the appropriate procedure.
7. We've submitted the application. What happens now?
This is where many people might think everything is finished.
It isn't.
In the Balearic Islands, the official information explains that once the application and documentation have been submitted, the person is contacted to arrange a home visit with a dependency assessor.
A decision is then issued stating whether dependency is recognised and, if so, at what level.
After the level has been recognised, a social worker becomes involved to understand the person's social and family circumstances and, where appropriate, prepare the Individual Care Programme, known as the PIA.
And here we can use AI again:
“I've submitted my dependency application in the Balearic Islands.
Look at the official information and explain what the next stages of the procedure are, in order.
Don't give me information you can't confirm.”
Now we have a kind of roadmap:
Application → assessment → decision → PIA.
We're no longer simply waiting without knowing what might happen next.
8. What if I receive a decision and don't understand it?
A letter arrives.
You open it.
You read it.
You read it again.
And think:
“Okay… what does this actually mean?”
Once again, AI can help.
“Explain this decision to me in simple language.
Tell me what they have decided, what level of dependency is stated, what benefits or services are mentioned and whether there is any deadline.
Don't interpret anything that isn't actually stated in the document and tell me what I should check with the Administration.”
And here we follow exactly the same principle we've been talking about from the beginning:
AI explains; the official source confirms.
If there is money, a deadline, a right, an appeal or any other important consequence, we don't rely solely on AI's interpretation.
AI answers
And this time I wanted to do something a little different.
This isn't about creating a collection of questions so that AI can magically solve everything.
It's about teaching it to ask, search, organise and explain things to us.
Can AI tell me whether my mother is entitled to dependency support?
AI answers: It can help you understand the requirements you need to check and prepare the information, but it cannot officially determine the degree of dependency or replace the official assessment.
You can ask:
“Explain which general requirements I should check and what information you need to know before guiding me.”
Can AI find the procedure for my region?
AI answers: Yes. You can ask it to find the current official procedure, specifically requesting an Administration website.
“Use official sources only and give me the link to the current procedure.”
Then check the link yourself.
Can AI tell me which documents I need?
AI answers: It can help you organise the documentation listed in the official information.
“Make me a checklist of the documents listed on the official page. Don't add anything that isn't mentioned there.”
Can it fill in the form for me?
AI answers: It can help you understand the questions and organise information you provide, but it shouldn't invent data or decide what you should declare.
“I'm going to explain the situation in my own words.
Help me write it clearly, but don't add any information I haven't given you.”
What do I do if I don't understand a screen?
AI answers: You can copy the text or show a screenshot without personal information and ask it to explain what it means.
“Explain this screen in simple language and tell me what information they are asking for.
If you can't know for certain, tell me.”
What if AI gives me a link that doesn't work?
AI answers: Don't continue blindly.
Ask it to search again for the current official procedure and check that the link really belongs to the Administration.
AI can make mistakes. That's why we check.
My cheat sheet for using AI with a dependency application
Before you start
“Ask me the questions you need to understand my situation.”
To find out what I need
“Look for the official information and make me a checklist.”
To find where to apply
“Give me the current official link for my region.”
When I'm inside the electronic portal
“Explain this screen to me in simple language.”
If I need to write something
“Organise what I'm telling you, but don't invent any information.”
Once I've submitted the application
“Explain the next steps according to the official information.”
When I receive a decision
“Explain what this means and tell me what I should check.”
And one question we should get used to asking every time:
“Which part of your answer should I check against the official source?”
What we shouldn't forget
There's something I want to make very clear.
We're not teaching AI to apply for dependency support on our behalf.
We're teaching ourselves how to use a tool so we don't get lost.
AI can find a page we couldn't find.
It can explain a sentence we didn't understand.
It can organise twenty documents.
It can turn our doubts into questions.
It can help us prepare for a conversation with the Administration.
But it doesn't automatically know our entire situation, it can make mistakes, and it doesn't have the final say.
So when we're talking about dependency, pensions, money, deadlines or legal rights, there's one rule I think should always be with us:
AI suggests.
The official source confirms.
And we decide.
What if you don't live in the Balearic Islands?
In this post, I've shown you the journey we followed in the Balearic Islands, because that's the procedure we can actually demonstrate and check step by step.
But the idea isn't for you to memorise how things work here.
If you live in another region, ask AI to help you find your procedure.
Ask:
“I live in [your region]. I want to apply for official recognition of dependency.
Find the current official procedure, tell me who manages it, how it starts and what I need to get going.
Use official sources only.”
Then open the page.
Check the information.
And if something doesn't match what AI told you, STOP.
Don't try to make AI right.
Make it help you discover what the correct information actually is.
If you think this might help someone, feel free to share it.
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