INSS Special Drive Opens 20.6 Thousand Slots on April 25 and 26

This page is a translation of the original Portuguese text, provided for convenience. It deals with Brazilian law. If there is any discrepancy, the Portuguese version prevails. Read the original in Portuguese

INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) and the Ministry of Social Security are making 20.6 thousand slots available in special drives for medical examinations and social assessments across Brazil on April 25 and 26, 2026.

How many slots are available in the April drive

The National Social Security Institute has announced 20,600 extra slots in special drives held over the weekend of April 25 and 26, 2026. The effort is a joint action between INSS and the Ministry of Social Security, which is providing the Federal Medical Examination Service to address the backlog of disability benefit claims and other services that require a medical or social assessment.

The slots are for medical examinations and social assessments. These are mandatory steps for granting benefits such as temporary disability benefit, permanent disability retirement, the BPC (Continuous Cash Benefit) for persons with disabilities, and certain work-injury benefits. The initiative takes place on Saturdays and Sundays, when INSS offices normally are closed, and it depends on the insured person first being summoned.

With the volume concentrated in a single weekend, the agency expects to shorten the administrative queue and reduce the average time between filing a benefit claim and completing the examination stage. The effort adds to regional actions already carried out throughout 2026 to tackle the buildup of pending claims.

How the slots are distributed by region

Most of the slots are concentrated in the Northeast, with 10,310 appointments scheduled in states such as Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Bahia, Piauí, Sergipe, Rio Grande do Norte, and Alagoas. The state capitals with the largest volumes include Fortaleza, with more than 2.9 thousand appointments across different offices, and João Pessoa, where about 1 thousand summonses are planned at the Tambauzinho and Centro offices.

The Southeast receives 4,016 slots, spread across Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo, with a focus on cities such as Teófilo Otoni, Cabo Frio, and Nova Iguaçu, and on the Rio de Janeiro Praça da Bandeira office. In the South, the offering reaches 3,355 slots, led by the Curitiba Visconde de Guarapuava office, which concentrates more than 1.5 thousand appointments. The Center-West totals 1,348 slots, with a strong presence at Brasília Taguatinga.

The North Region has a total of 1,584 slots, notably Santarém, in Pará, which has two blocks of appointments. The concentration in the North and Northeast reflects a strategy of prioritizing areas with fewer offices per inhabitant and longer average wait times, according to the agency’s own official indicators.

The drive focuses on federal medical examinations and social assessments, the mandatory steps for granting disability benefits and the BPC.

Who can take advantage of the extra appointments

The drive primarily serves insured persons who already have a claim open with INSS and are waiting for a medical examination or social assessment so the review can be completed. Potential beneficiaries include workers applying for temporary disability benefit, applicants for permanent disability retirement, and persons with disabilities seeking the BPC.

Insured persons may also be summoned if they are in the process of a disability benefit review, a benefit extension, or a reassessment required after an initial examination. The key criterion is having a pending claim that needs evaluation. There are no walk-in appointments: the office selects in advance the cases that fit the available slots and summons insured persons by notification in Meu INSS (the agency’s online portal and app), by phone, or by letter.

How to get a slot in the drive

There is no open registration for the drive. INSS itself identifies, from its queue of pending claims, which insured persons fit the slots available at each office, and then contacts them. You can check on your own through the Meu INSS website or app, through the 135 hotline, or directly at the office handling your claim.

If your claim has been stalled for months and you haven’t been summoned, you can use the official channels to ask about its status. In cases with excessive delay, guidance from a professional who handles social security matters can help you assess whether an administrative appeal or court action is needed to ensure your claim is reviewed.

What to bring on the day of your appointment

Insured persons summoned for a medical examination should bring an official photo ID, their CPF (taxpayer ID number), and all available medical documentation, such as medical certificates, reports, test results, prescriptions, and treatment records. The more complete your evidence, the greater the chance the benefit will be recognized at the first appointment, with no need for another visit.

For social assessments, which are conducted by a social worker, it is also advisable to bring documents that show your family and socioeconomic situation, such as proof of income, medication prescriptions, and a list of ongoing treatments. For persons with disabilities applying for the BPC, an up-to-date registration in the Cadastro Único (Brazil’s Single Registry for Social Programs) at the local municipality is an essential condition for approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which benefits depend on the steps offered in the drive?

The medical examinations and social assessments conducted in the drive serve claims for temporary disability benefit, permanent disability retirement, accident benefit (auxílio-acidente), and the BPC for persons with disabilities. In all of these cases, an evaluation by an accredited professional is required by social security and social assistance law. Without this step, INSS cannot complete its review of the claim, and the benefit cannot be granted.

Can I book a slot in the drive through Meu INSS?

No. The drive does not work on a self-scheduling basis. INSS makes the selection internally, considering each claim’s place in the queue, how long it has been waiting, and the slots available at each office. If you have an open claim and meet the criteria, you will receive an official notice with the date, time, and location. If you have not been summoned and have an old claim pending, you can check its status through Meu INSS or the 135 hotline.

When is the next drive after this weekend?

INSS holds these drives on a recurring basis, but the calendar is set according to regional demand, the availability of medical examiners and social workers, and approved budget resources. No fixed schedule is guaranteed by law. The best approach is to follow the agency’s official announcements and keep your Meu INSS registration up to date, since that is the platform through which summonses for scheduled extra appointments are sent.

As informações deste artigo são de caráter informativo e não substituem consulta jurídica individualizada. Cada caso possui particularidades que exigem análise específica.