To date, approximately 4,669 grant applications have been submitted, 1,950 of which did not meet the eligibility conditions set by the Knesset.
Grant eligibility is expected to be extended in the coming months as well
A special grant for people aged 67 and over paid by the National Insurance Institute, for those whose work was terminated following the war, has so far been paid to eligible persons in the amount of approximately NIS 6 million.
The special grant was passed in legislation in the Knesset on 9/11 and provides a unique solution for those who were laid off or put on unpaid leave following the "Iron Swords" war,
since there is no law that provides unemployment benefits for those aged 67 and above.
With the passing of the law, the National Insurance Institute has developed a new computer system that includes, among other things, the possibility of submitting a claim, filtering the claims
according to the eligibility conditions and according to all the parameters set forth by the law, paying each person according to their personal details, the salary they earned and more.
A few days after achieving the legislation, the system was ready and it was possible to submit benefit claims.
Grant data
- To date, approximately NIS 6 million has been paid in October and November to citizens eligible for the grant.
- So far, over 4,669 claims have been submitted, of which the National Insurance has transferred payments to 1,610 claimants.
- Approximately 1,950 claims did not meet the eligibility conditions set by the government (not a resident of Israel, no 3-month qualifying period, not 67 years of age or older, continues to work for the employer, went on unpaid leave less than 14 days, etc.).
- For 1,102 claims, the employer did not report a work stoppage. It is important to note that in these cases, the National Insurance constantly turns, proactively, to employers and citizens themselves, to receive the approval to advance the handling of the claim. Following these proactive inquiries, the National Insurance received 555 claims for immediate payment over the past weekend.
Grant payment
Payments for grants to people aged 67+ are transferred to those eligible on an ongoing basis without any need for further action.
The amount of the grant is calculated according to 75% of the average salary from work in the 3 out of the last 6 months preceding the work stoppage – according to the higher salary among them, but shall not exceed NIS 134 per day.
In addition, this week the Knesset is expected to hold a discussion that will promote the extension of eligibility for the months of December and January.
The National Insurance: "We handle inquiries on an ongoing basis and immediately remit the payment to those eligible. Unfortunately, there are many claimants who do not meet the eligibility conditions set forth in the legislation passed by the Knesset and it is important to pay attention to this. The National Insurance will continue to proactively contact claimants and employers to ensure that all information is gathered for the purpose of receiving immediate service and treatment for people aged 67+ whose work has been terminated due to the war. "