Exemption from Military Service for People with Autism (Right)

הקדמה:

Despite the fact that all autistic people (though not those have been diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome) are considered “draft ineligible”, you still must complete the official exemption process

A joint pilot program between ALUT and the IDF is currently reviewing a process by which youth with autism will be exempt from receiving an initial draft notice. Click here to find out more

See also…

• Autism
• Shiluv Menatzeach - Integrating Young People with Disabilities into the IDF
• Volunteering in the IDF for Military Exemption Recipients
• Volunteering for National Civil Service for People with Autism
• IDF Service for Youth with Asperger’s Syndrome
• פטור משירות צבאי לאוטיסטים

Due to the fact that the IDF information database is not connected to the National Insurance information database, an initial draft notice is sent to anyone around the age of 17 who is designated for national military service. Therefore, parents must notify the IDF regarding their autistic child’s status, except if the child lives in a housing arrangement outside the home, in which case the IDF should already be updated.

How to claim it?

• Every initial draft notice will include the address of the recruitment office to which the draftee belongs. The following documents must be sent to this office:
  • The draftee's autism diagnosis
  • An up-to-date letter from a doctor confirming the diagnosis
  • A letter detailing the exemption request with an attached in absentia process request including: full name of the draftee, identification number, parents’ information, etc.
• Due to the fact that this is a legal process, all documents must be originals or notarized copies.
• A response will be sent to the parents requesting approval to perform the process in absentia.
• If the parents do not request that the process be performed in absentia, the draftee will be ordered to appear before a medical review board without the parents present. If the parents wish to be present at the medical review board, they must submit a request to the relevant recruitment office.
• The official exemption will not be granted until the draftee turns 18 years old.

Please Note

• The official exemption document does not indicate that the specific reason exemption was granted was due to mental health.
• After exemption has been granted, it is still possible to serve in the IDF as a volunteer in conditions adapted to various disabilities. See also details about the program "Seeing Far"- vocational training for youth on the autistic spectrum.
• There is also an option to perform national civil service as a volunteer.

Sources

• ALUT’s Booklet of Rights for Adults on the Autism Spectrum
• Original translation performed by The Shira Pransky Project as part of a grant from The Fellowship Fund.