Dificuldades na realização da perícia médica e social: para efetivação do direito ao Benefício da Prestação Continuada (BPC/LOAS) no Município de Manaquiri

Abstract

This dissertation examines the right to the Continuous Cash Benefit (Benefício de Prestação Continuada – BPC/LOAS) in the municipality of Manaquiri, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, with emphasis on the difficulties faced by applicants in undergoing the medical examination and the social assessment, which are mandatory and complementary stages for granting the social assistance benefit provided for in Article 203(V) of the 1988 Federal Constitution and regulated by Law No. 8,742/1993 (LOAS). The study is based on the hypothesis that, although Manaquiri is located only approximately 60 km from Manaus, the absence of a local National Institute of Social Security (INSS) agency, the dependence on transportation by river or highway, and the seasonal fluctuations between flood and drought periods in the region's river system impose concrete barriers to the exercise of this right by older adults and persons with disabilities. This situation constitutes a problem of effectiveness and equality in access to social rights, even in municipalities located relatively close to the state capital. The research consists of a non-participant observational study with a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive approach, combining a literature review and documentary analysis. It examines the legal framework governing the BPC, as well as the distinction and complementarity between the medical examination and the social assessment. The findings indicate that, despite initiatives aimed at expanding access to services in remote areas—such as itinerant task forces and river-based mobile units—structural shortcomings continue to undermine the effective implementation of the BPC in Manaquiri. Consequently, the dissertation proposes a set of guidelines designed to strengthen itinerant service provision in the municipality, introduce greater flexibility in evidentiary requirements in contexts of territorial vulnerability, and expand judicial oversight of benefit denials resulting from barriers to access. The study begins with the theoretical framework underlying the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC), proceeds through the geographical context of the state of Amazonas, and subsequently focuses on the municipality of Manaquiri, considering its particular characteristics as the subject of an observational study.