Rights Guide for Individuals Caring for an Elderly Family Member or Person With Disabilities (Right)

In many cases the assistance and treatment of the elderly and people with disabilities or illness is provided by family members.

This page provides information regarding the rights and services available to help and support family members who are caring for other family members.

Family members caring for other family members are eligible to receive emotional support and assistance as detailed below.

The elderly and people with disabilities or illness (both children and adults) who live in the community often require significant assistance, and in most cases it is provided informally, by their family and close friends.

This page summarizes information regarding the rights and services intended to assist and support family members who are caregivers for the elderly, or for a child or adult that suffers from illness or disabilities.
Most of the information is relevant to the primary caregivers and some is also relevant to other family members who assist in the care giving.

Employment

Employees are entitled to use sick days to care for a child with special needs or an ill spouse, parent or child. For more information, see Sick Days to Care for a Family Member.
The law prohibits the discrimination against an employee because he/she is the relative of a person with a disability.
An employee who resigns due to a family member's ill health is entitled to receive severance pay from an employer. For more information see severance pay to the employee who resigned due to the health deterioration of himself or a family member.
An employee who, due to disability or illness of the spouse, is solely responsible for taking care of a child may take Unpaid Leave Following Maternity Leave. Further, the employee is entitled to receive severance pay from an employer in cases of Resignation in Order to Care for a Child (after birth, adoption, surrogacy or accepting foster care).
The spouse of a new mother who has an established degree of earning capacity of 100%, may be entitled to special compensation if the employee stopped working in order to care for the baby in place of the spouse.
Employees are entitled to be absent up to 7 days a year to care for a spouse or parent that is donating organs for transplant. For more information see:
- Sick Days or Vacation Days to Care for a Spouse that Donated Organs for Transplant
- Sick Days or Vacation Days to Care for a Parent that Donated Organs for Transplant

Income Tax

A parent of a child or adult is defined as "disabled" (נטול יכולת in Hebrew) is entitled to income tax credit points.
An employee whose spouse is blind, or has disability above 90% and has no independent income is eligible for income tax credit points.
In the following cases provident fund (kupat gemel) members may be eligible for tax exemption when withdrawing money from the fund:
- Members who have high medical expenses (other than expenses for dental care), including expenses for a relative. For details, see Tax Exemption When Withdrawing Money From a Provident Fund for Members Who Have High Medical Expenses.
- Members for whom a family member has an established disability of 75% or more. For details, see Tax Exemption When Withdrawing Money From a Provident Fund for Family Member of Persons With Disabilities.

Withdrawing Funds to Treat a Sick Child

If a parent has a child in difficult medical situation he is permitted to withdraw funds from the Savings Plan for Each Child before the child turns 18 if the money will be used to fund the medical necessities of the child. For additional information see Withdrawal of money from the Savings Plan for each child plan before the child is 18 because of his medical condition.

Benefits

Parents of a child with disabilities may be eligible for Disabled Child Benefit and Related Benefits.
If the family member is an adult the family may be eligible for Disability Pension and Related Benefits.
If the family member is an adult requiring supervision or assistance with daily activities, you may be entitled to receive:
- Special Services Benefit (Attendance Allowance) and Related Benefits for an adult with a medical disability, who has not yet reached Retirement Age.
- Services or payment from the Long-Term Care Benefit for one who has reached Retirement Age.

Additional Relief

If the family member needs a full-time caregiver, it may be possible to receive permission to employ a foreign nursing care worker.
The health plans operate home treatment units - medical, assistive and rehabilitative - for patients who are home-bound. For additional information, see Supportive Home Care (Palliative Care).
The local authorities give a property tax (Arnona) discount to disabled and elderly residents. For more information on the populations eligible for these discounts see the Property Tax (Arnona) portal.
In some cases, and in accordance with specific criteria, you may be entitled to a Disabled Parking Permit.
Services provided through Supportive Communities for People with Disabilities (such as medical services at night) are also provided to family members living with the disabled person between age 21-65 who has an Determining Disability by a Medical Committee for General Disability.
A family member of a mobility benefit recipient Mobility Benefit may be an authorized driver for him (to receive permission to drive the car of the relative with limited mobility).
There are public places that may not collect entrance fees from the escort of a person with disabilities. The exemption is given based on certification given by the National Insurance Institute to the following populations:

The escort of a person with intellectual or mental disabilities, or autism, may be entitled to receiving public services without waiting in line.
A new immigrant that cares for a family member (that is also an immigrant), is entitled to financial assistant during the second half of his first year in Israel. For additional information see Financial Assistance from the Immigration and Absorption Authority for New Immigrants Caring for Elderly Family Members (Existence Insurance)
A person who cares for a family member (spouse, child or parent) requiring constant supervision and meets the criteria to receive existence insurance may be exempt from going to the employment office in order to receive income support. For additional information see Receiving Income Support without Going to an Employment Office.

Support, assistance and community services to family caregivers from different population groups

General

Caregivers Israel Recognition and Support for Caregivers of Family Members
Yad L'Tomech - Support Center for Family Caregivers
HEYANUT Center - An interdisciplinary holistic center for people with special needs and their families
Personal Phone Consultation for Family Members provided by Caregivers Israel
Social Services within the Healthcare System
Family Center for Parents and Families of Children with Disabilities

Children with special needs

The Elderly and Senior Citizens

Hotline for family caregivers of the elderly from the information center "Reut Eshel"
Shaked Centers - Municipal support centers for family caregivers of an elderly relative
Connection in Motion - Exercises for home-bound seniors and their family members
Purple Unit - center for accessing rights for senior citizens in hospitals (including the rights of the relatives that care for them)
Counseling services for the elderly from the National Insurance Institute (counseling for the elderly and their relatives)
Services in the Community for Senior Citizens
Respite(Short Term Housing) for Senior Citizens
Support and Treatment From Social Workers for Senior Citizens
Personal Caregiving Services for Senior Citizens
Material Assistance for Senior Citizens
Family members who are caregivers' forum on the site, Reut - Caregiving Family
Support groups for Maccabi members who are caregivers for elderly relatives with chronic illness
Medication Information and Advising Center for Seniors

People with Alzheimer's and dementia diseases

People with Mental Health Issues

People With Intellectual Disability

People With Autism

Please Note

Patients are entitled to have another person present during medical examinations and/or treatment:
- Presence of a Family Member or Other Person During Medical Examinations
- Presence of Another Person During Medical Treatment
Income tax relief is also provided to employees who pay for a parent, spouse or child to stay in an institution or accommodation outside of the home:
- Income Tax Credit for a Parent or Spouse Living in an Institution
- Income Tax Credit for a Child in Housing Outside the Home
If a public housing resident moves to institutional living, a family member who lived with him/her for at least 3 years in the public housing may be eligible to purchase the apartment as a "continuing resident".

Aid Organizations

Government Agencies

Laws and Regulations

Additional Publications

Patient Information on the REUTH Family Care website.
Eat and Live in Dignity - Guide to Family Caregivers of People With Dementia from the Ministry of Health
Recommendations for one supporting an adult who needs care informational brochure from Clalit Health Services
Examining the Care Family Members for the Elderly: Characteristics of the Care, Strain and Help and Support Programs A report by the Center for Research on Aging, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute assisted, with assistance from Eshel - The Association for Planning and Development of Services for the Aged, The Center for Research on Aging
Simulation for the cost of employing a foreign nursing care worker from the Internet hotline to assist employees of foreign nursing care workers.

Credits

Original information for this page was written with the assistance of he:Caregivers Israel.
English translation and maintenance by The Shira Pransky Project.

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