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This last Monday (August 1st 2022) we met with representatives of the Israeli National Insurance (Bituach Leumi or BL), in regards to recent complaints that have surfaced about the registration process of new residents to their public health services, in various BL offices.
Check this article to read more about the registration process to Bituach Leumi for new residents (A5 visa holders and others)
The meeting was possible thanks to our collaboration with MK Evgeny Sova and his team that understood the gravity of the issue and made the connection.
The meeting was hosted by Mr Dani Zaken, Deputy Head of Administration and Director of the Insurance and Health Division at BL and MR Elad Zchut, Advisor to the CEO and head of strategic planning and work plans at BL.
Mr Zaken kindly explained the registration procedure for visa holders, and gave further information about the legislation process back in 2017, that allowed the BL to consider previous stays in Israel when determining the eligibility for national insurance services for new residents.
The information I got from him about the registration process to BL was 100% correlative to what we know, and identical to the instructions on form 625. In short, BL will determine eligibility for services based on the time period from the moment of application and up to 6 month before getting a resident status from PIBA – as long as the person was legally living in Israel during that time (“The relevant period”).
At the moment of application, BL will check if the applicant spent at least 183 days in Israel (consecutive or non-consecutive), during the relevant period. If not, they will be registered only once they have.
What seemed to be the problem, is that some branches started getting somewhat contradictory or confusing information from PIBA, that includes the last date of entry to Israel. This information was leading some clerks to count the 183 day period from a later stage.
Following our meeting, Mr Zaken issued a nation-wide notification to all branches of BL instructing them to work according to the known registration procedure as listed above.
First and foremost we thank MK Evgeny Sova and his team for allowing us to bring this issue forward to the relevant officials and solve it efficiently and promptly. I would also like to thank Mr Elad Zchut for arranging the meeting, and Mr Dani Zaken for solving it professionally.
Such collaborations with the authorities allow us to solve systematic problems that affect thousands of people. This activity is possible only under one united voice that we have as a community, and soon under the name of our own NGO.
Check the following links for the official information and full registration procedure:
Notice 1425 (featuring instructions about the legislation change of 2018).
