On 22/10/23, the Labor and Welfare Committee convened to discuss the agreement between the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Finance under section 9 of the National Insurance Law – which provides the possibility to shorten the legislative process and grant rights immediately.
The preparation of the agreement is a collaboration between: the National Insurance, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Justice.
This recognition was necessary because there was no legal response to providing assistance to families of hostages, and the disaster created unprecedented situations for the State of Israel.
The rights that will be granted to family members will be similar to those granted to bereaved families - since this is the most comprehensive and broadest envelope and provides a solution for both the nuclear family (spouse and children) as well as the parents.
The Ministry of Defense, which together with the National Insurance Institute led the formulation of the agreement – will grant similar rights to the families of hostages and missing people from among the security forces, as part of a government decision that was approved yesterday. An emotional and financial support package will be provided to families through the Families Division at the Ministry of Defense. Following the government's decision, the professionals at the Ministry of Defense hoped to visit families' homes and provide them with immediate assistance to help.
The envelope of rights expected to be granted after the Committee's approval is, inter alia:
- An initial advance payment to be made in the next two days in the amount of NIS 10,000.
- Eligibility for a monthly allowance of between NIS 7,000 and NIS 11,000 (according to family composition).
- Grants for 'special needs' such as:
- Mobility needs (car rental, reimbursement of travel expenses, taxis, etc.)
- Financing housing solutions (rent, hotels according to the situation and more)
- Assistance with medical treatments – including treatments that are not in the medication basket (drug financing, medical consultation, medical assistive devices)
- Mental health assistance that includes funding psychological treatments, alternative medicine, support groups and more.
In addition, the framework will include funding for unique needs such as: babysitting financing, assistance in the household, assistance in financing expenses arising from the situation imposed on the families.
In cases where the law brought today before the committee didn't provide for the special needs related to the event and the exceptional situation, it was agreed between the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Defense to transfer these cases to the exceptions committee. This committee was created in order to provide solutions in exceptional cases in which the law does not provide a solution and with an emphasis on severe socio-economic cases.
The National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Defense wish for the quick return of the hostages and immediately upon their return they will be treated as victims of hostile actions and disabled IDF veterans. At the same time, according to the government decision approved last night, the Minister of Labor and the Minister of Defense must promote permanent legislation that will anchor in primary legislation the rights of the families of kidnapped and missing persons.
It should be noted that from the moment of the enactment of the agreement and then the legislation – it will also be possible to provide a solution for families of hostages before 23/10/07.