Holocaust survivors to receive more funding for dental work

The relief initiative, "Restore a Smile" will allow all eligible survivors to receive dental treatment of NIS 5,000 per year.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
Dentists Chair 370 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Dentists Chair 370
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets announced on Sunday it is expanding its assistance by financing dental treatments in the health funds (kupot holim) for Holocaust survivors in need.
The universal relief initiative, called “Restore a Smile,” will allow all eligible survivors to receive dental treatment amounting to NIS 5,000 per year with the addition of a ten percent deductible.
“Alongside our main activity for the restitution of assets to the heirs of Holocaust victims, we are working to improve the quality of life of survivors with the funds derived from the realization of assets for which no heirs were located. I thank the health funds that contributed to this move,” said Micha Harish, chairman of the company.
The company signed agreements with four of the leading health funds that operate dental clinics - Clalit Smile, MaccabiDent, Leumit Dentika, and Meuhedet.
The health funds will provide a range of dental treatments, and eligible Holocaust survivors will be able to receive treatment at the clinics of which they are members.
The funding provided to the survivors is for the final cost of the treatment, after applying the discount to which the survivor is entitled in accordance with the fund to which he or she is a member and the type of supplementary health insurance.
The payment for the treatment will be transferred directly from the company to the health fund.
The company provides Holocaust survivors some NIS 135 million per year, of which dental treatments are a new addition.
Survivors receive quarterly allowances, prepaid cards for Mega or Shufersal supermarket chains to purchase food, and full exemptions of deductibles when purchasing prescriptions drugs in the health basket.
Earlier this month, the Knesset approved the amendment of the Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets Law which sets the end of the company’s operations as December 31, 2017, as opposed to 2021, as previously stipulated in the law. In addition, the new law also calls for an increase in aid to Holocaust survivors from NIS 100 million to NIS 135m. annually. In 2015, the amount will rise to NIS 150m.
In addition, any assets owned by the company that remain unclaimed at the end of 2017 will be used to aid Holocaust survivors and will be transferred to an executor.