MK: Grant all returned captive soldiers IDF disabled status

Kadima MK Yisrael Hasson drafts bill granting automatic status on returned captive soldiers.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Gilad Schalit arrives at his home in Mitzpe Hila 311 (photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
Gilad Schalit arrives at his home in Mitzpe Hila 311
(photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
Any captive soldier will automatically be considered an IDF disabled veteran upon his return, if a bill drafted by MK Yisrael Hasson (Kadima) passes.
Hasson, the head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s investigation into the Defense Ministry’s rehabilitation options, proposed that captured soldiers that are returned to Israel should automatically be considered 20 percent disabled.
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After further examination, they could be considered more disabled.
The Kadima MK said he initiated the legislation after failing to come to an agreement on the matter with Defense Ministry representatives after over a year of discussion.
“Right before Gilad Schalit returned, the Defense Ministry director-general told me he would automatically recognize Gilad and any other soldier who was captive for over two weeks as a victim of post-traumatic stress,” Hasson said, adding that such recognition is “essential to the rehabilitation process.”
“Captivity causes trauma, and the soldier should be in a unique framework that is different from any other military injury,” he explained.
“Our demand is based on medical research, which proves that captivity can cause a wide range of illnesses.”
According to Moshe Tzin, who heads the Defense Ministry’s rehabilitation department, each captive upon his return must be examined individually, and cannot automatically be considered 20% disabled.
“We do not limit the extent of care for any captive, regardless of his disability percentage,” Tzin said.