After an outcry by IDF veterans, the Prime Minister’s Office, Defense Ministry and Finance Ministry in conjunction with the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization came to an agreement on Thursday regarding the budget for reforming the Rehabilitation Department.
According to the Defense Ministry, in the coming days the new reforms will be brought before the cabinet, where it is expected to receive the necessary approvals.
“After many efforts, we reached an agreement between the Prime Minister’s Office and Defense and Finance ministries, together with the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, on a budget [for] reforming the Rehabilitation Department,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Wounded IDF veterans are important and dear us, and an immediate and fundamental reform is needed to ensure the help that they deserve.”
“We are committed to our soldiers and heroic fighters and will continue to work for them, assisting and accompanying in every way possible,” said Defense Minister Benny Gantz. “I will enter the government as soon as possible to approve the reform and implement it as promised.”
Gantz thanked Finance Minister Israel Katz as well as Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Michael Biton, Defense Ministry Director-General Maj.-Gen (ret.) Amir Eshel, and Ziv Shilon for working “day and night” to complete the reforms.
“I have approved thousands of operations, attack plans and reforms in the IDF and defense establishment, and yet this is one of the most important and most moral efforts I have led, and I will continue to lead the implementation of this reform and provide the proper care for IDF veterans,” he said, adding that he prays for the recovery of Itzik Saidyan, the 26-year-old veteran of the Golani Brigade whose requests for assistance had repeatedly been rejected, and then lit himself on fire outside a Defense Ministry office in Petah Tikva just days before Remembrance Day last month. He remains hospitalized in critical condition, fighting for his life.
The promised reforms for the rights of disabled veterans, dubbed One Soul, had been stalled as the Finance Ministry and Defense Ministry fought over the budget needed for the reforms. The announcement of the delay led to a series of protests by veterans, including in front of the Knesset.
A compromise was reached on Thursday, with the funding for the reforms scaled back from NIS 350 million to NIS 300m.
The budget will be allocated to provide an immediate response to the needs of the treatment and rehabilitation of IDF veterans, with an emphasis on those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division will be immediately reinforced with 60 additional staffers, and coordination of the transfer of information between the IDF and the rehabilitation division and those needing the services will be improved.
The budget will also be used to establish a mechanism that will assist those with PTSD by providing psychological assistance for family members and partners, vocational training courses, operating support groups, assistance with service dogs, as well as alternative treatments, and operating a professional and dedicated call center.
The extensive decision-making proposal that will be submitted to the government for approval will also include elements of the reform required for legislation, and additional processes that will be carried out over the coming months.
“We are in the process of correcting and performing the moral duty of the State of Israel in the face of IDF disabled people,” said Eshel, adding that “our hearts and our prayers are with Itzik Saidyan, who is fighting for his life. We all pray for his well-being and recovery.”
Following the incident last month, Defense Minister Benny Gantz reviewed Israel’s rehabilitation services.
Saidyan served in the battle of Shuja’iyya during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, in which 13 soldiers, including Oron Shaul whose body is still being held by Hamas in Gaza, were killed.
The tragedy resulted in public outcry and protests, with activists and families of soldiers demanding reforms and better support in the state’s rehabilitation facilities for disabled IDF veterans.
The Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department has long been criticized for being excessively complicated for veterans to be recognized as having been injured during their military service. Until a veteran is recognized, a process which in some cases took years, they are not eligible for assistance.
According to Eshel, the reforms will include improving and streamlining the recognition processes and shortening processes in the medical committees. A national council for those suffering from PTSD will also be established, “because the issue is relevant beyond IDF disabled veterans.”
In 2019, the State Comptroller’s report found that there was an insufficient amount of medical care available for disabled IDF soldiers, a population that with time is getting older. With the new reforms, the elderly – who make up 60% of disabled veterans – will get treatments geared specifically for them.
The reforms will also include providing legal assistance, the establishment of a complaints commission, the “immediate” easing of bureaucratic processes to be recognized as disabled, the establishment of a research unit and more.
Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.