Vocational Rehabilitation

Under the Disability Insurance Law, if you belong to one of the following two categories, you are eligible for vocational rehabilitation:

(a) A medical committee has decided to assign you permanent medical disability degree of at least 20%, and you meet the following criteria:

• Because of the impairment, you cannot work in your previous occupation or in any other kind of suitable work.
• You require vocational training in order to return to your previous occupation or to do work suited to your skills following the occurrence of the impairment.
• You are suitable for vocational rehabilitation, and are capable of cooperating in the process of vocational rehabilitation and of integrating into the open job market (as opposed to sheltered or supported work).

(b) you are the spouse of a disabled person that the NII has decided cannot be vocationally rehabilitated, you live on a regular basis with your disabled spouse, an increment to the disabled person’s monthly disability pension is paid on your behalf, and you have  not yet reached retirement age.

1.     You have been assigned a permanent disability degree of at least 10%, unless:

• you have not been assigned a disability degree, but the National Insurance Institute physician thinks that you will retain at least 10% disability.
• the disability degree assigned to you is less than 10%, but the NII physician thinks that continuation of your present type of work might endanger your health or safety.
• the disability degree assigned to you is less than 10%, but you suffer from an occupational disease.

2.     Because of your impairment, you cannot work in your previous occupation or in any other kind of work suitable to your skills, or you require vocational training in order to return to your previous occupation.

3.     In the rehabilitation officer’s opinion, you are suitable for vocational rehabilitation and are capable of cooperating in the process of vocational rehabilitation and of integrating into the open job market as a regular worker.

Information on the integration of disabled persons in the job market (from Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment site)

* If you have a permanent degree of disability of 75% or more;

* If you have a permanent degree of disability of 65-74% due to which you have difficulty in walking (subject to authorization by an NII physician).

A widow who receives a survivors' pension or a dependent's pension is entitled to occupational rehabilitation and vocational training through the Rehabilitation Division, if she meets the following conditions:

  She has no profession or is unable to support herself with her current profession.
  She requires vocational retraining as a result of being widowed.
  She is not entitled to vocational training under any other law.
  The Rehabilitation Officer believes that she is suitable for vocational training taking into account her level of education, health, and physical fitness.

* The above also applies to widowers.

An application for Vocational Rehabilitation should be submitted at a branch of the National Insurance Institute near the claimant’s place of residence. To download the form click here.