What is the difference between the benefit and the permit?

The long-term care benefit is help from National Insurance. An employment permit is the Population Authority’s approval to employ a foreign worker. They are two processes. Benefit level 4, 5, or 6 can support a permit from retirement age, under the procedure updated on 10 July 2024. A lower level is not, by itself, that condition.

Permit eligibility

Q: How long does a permit after hospitalization last?

Under procedure 9.2.0002, a permit for a person about to be discharged from hospital is for three months at most, and only for a worker already in Israel. It cannot be used to bring a worker from abroad. An extension requires the ordinary procedure.

Two different paths

The National Insurance long-term care benefit helps a person who has reached retirement age, lives at home, and needs help with daily activities or supervision. An employment permit is a separate approval to employ a foreign worker. A person can receive the benefit and still not meet the permit conditions. In some cases a permit can be requested without the benefit, for example when the benefit was refused only because of income.

Conditions that apply to the employment

The permit is for someone who needs care or supervision for most hours of the day, on a full-time basis. There is no permit for only a few hours or days.
The patient must provide adequate housing in their home.
The worker cares for the patient named on the permit. The worker may not be moved to work for someone else, including a relative.
The employer and the worker register with a licensed private bureau, and the worker holds a valid caregiving visa.
Wages are paid into a bank account in the worker’s name in Israel.
Israeli labour law applies, including lawful medical insurance and National Insurance.
As a rule, there is no permit for a person staying in an institution that provides nursing care. Exceptions in the procedure include sheltered housing without nursing services, and day hospitalization.
A hospital stay of more than 60 days cancels the permit. The bureau and the authority must be notified.

From retirement age

Retirement age is set by law and changes with the year of birth. There is no single numeric age for women and for men.

Under the procedure, a patient of retirement age may receive a permit if at least one of the following is met, taking into account how current the dependency test is:

4.5 ADL points on the dependency test.
4 ADL points plus the points awarded for living alone.
Partial supervision, meaning at least 0.5 points in the supervision item, plus the points for living alone.
A long-term care benefit at level 4, 5, or 6.

A patient aged 90 or older may qualify with 4 ADL points alone. A patient above retirement age who is ineligible for the benefit only because of income must have a dependency assessment under procedure 9.2.0005. Requests for patients aged 85 or older who do not meet the ordinary conditions can go to the professional committee, with current medical documents.

From age 18 until retirement age

A permit is granted to a person entitled to the special services benefit at a level of at least 112%. Requests at a lower level, or from a person entitled to a mobility benefit, are referred to the committee.

Children

A minor is generally entitled to an educational or therapeutic setting, so a permit is not given merely because there is a disabled-child benefit. The procedure requires a disabled-child benefit of at least 100%, and also one of these circumstances: the setting depends on an escort for physical help; supervision is needed for most of the day and the child cannot attend a setting; or other special medical circumstances that require close, prolonged care at home, including at night.

The procedure states that a permit will not be given for a minor who does not meet these conditions, including solely because the family is a single-parent family or has many children.

IDF disabilities, hostilities, and work injuries

An IDF disability or a hostility-related disability with at least 12 approved accompaniment hours a day.
An IDF or hostility-related disability of 100% or more, with at least 8 approved accompaniment hours a day.
A work-injury disability recognized at the level of extensive assistance or dependence on another person.

Discharge from hospital

A person about to be discharged from hospital or an institution can request a temporary permit with a physician’s diagnosis, a need for continuity of care, and an estimated discharge date. The permit is for three months at most, and only for a worker already in Israel. An extension requires the ordinary procedure, including a discharge letter.

What Yad Harutzim does here

The branch helps identify which path appears relevant, collect documents, complete forms, pay the fee, file the application, and follow it. If a document is missing or the answer is unclear, the authority is the place that decides, and we will help you understand that answer.

Words worth knowing

Employment permit: The authority’s approval to employ a foreign worker in caregiving.
Work visa: The worker’s licence to stay and work. Without a valid visa, employment is not allowed.
Private bureau: A body licensed to recruit, place, and handle foreign caregivers. Registration is a condition of employment.
Dependency test: National Insurance assessment of daily activities and supervision. The score is also used by the Population Authority.
Long-term care benefit: A National Insurance payment or services for a person of retirement age living in the community.
Special services benefit: A benefit for a person under retirement age who needs a great deal of help.