Disabled Persons (Benefits and Rehabilitation) Law (Amendment No. 35), 5786-2026

Full AI summary

The law widens the option to recognize disabled veterans who need special assistance beyond what the law defines. It requires the Defense Minister to set up a committee to consider exceptional cases of disabled veterans and their family members. The committee may decide to grant assistance "beyond the letter of the law", meaning assistance that the law does not grant automatically but at its discretion. The assistance may be given to the disabled veteran, or to a family member of a disabled veteran with "special characteristics" who has fallen into severe hardship because of the veteran's disability. A "disabled veteran with special characteristics" is defined as someone assessed with a disability rating of at least 35% due to a head injury or a mental impairment, including post-traumatic stress disorder. The definition also includes disabled veterans with a 100% rating or a special disability rating. The committee may weigh socioeconomic, humanitarian and rehabilitation considerations in its decisions. It will be headed by a retired judge appointed by the Justice Minister on the recommendation of the Defense Minister. The Defense Minister will set the rest of the committee's makeup in regulations, but for disabled veterans with special characteristics it will also include a social worker, a psychologist or a psychiatrist. The committee will decide within three months of receiving all documents, and its decisions will be published on the website of the Rehabilitation Department without identifying details. The law also redefines "combat stress reaction" as a stress response to a traumatic event, and a "combat stress casualty" as someone assessed with a disability due to post-traumatic stress disorder caused by combat stress. It also requires the Rehabilitation Department to provide tailored treatment to combat stress casualties. The Defense Minister will report to the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee on the number of assistance requests submitted to the committee and approved, and on the responses and adjustments needed to treat disabled veterans with special characteristics, including proposals for changes to legislation and procedures. The report will also cover steps to adapt treatment for combat stress casualties and to make information accessible to new immigrants and lone soldiers.