Applications should be forwarded to the health bureau in your area of residence (according to the address on the patient’s ID slip). The documents can be brought directly to the bureau during office hours or sent by fax, e-mail, or mail, according to the details on the bureau’s website.

Payment Commitment

Towards the end of the process, when the level of copayment for each family member is determined, it is important to sign a payment commitment in one of the following methods:

• In the health bureau where the process has been conducted
• In another health bureau, in coordination with the health bureau where the process has been conducted
• In the presence of a private solicitor and with confirmation of their signature. A payment commitment form can be received from the relevant health bureau coordinator and the signed documents should be submitted to the bureau

• The time estimation for handling the application is specified in the service charter
• The processing of the application depends on how quickly the required documents are sent on the applicant’s behalf
• These documents are also used to determine the patient’s classification and the level of copayment for family members

The application may be rejected for several reasons:

If, after checking the documents or after a direct medical examination of the patient, the classification committee in the health bureau, headed by the district geriatrician, decides that the patient does not answer the requirements for hospitalization of a physically impaired or a cognitively impaired person. In this case, a notice of rejection of the application will be given.

It is extremely important to fill out and submit all the required documents, as well as sign the commitment forms. Otherwise, it will not be possible to complete the application processing, especially in the following cases:

• The patient has met the requirements for hospitalization, nevertheless, the necessary documents for determining the patient's and family's copayment have not been provided
• The required commitment forms have not been properly signed

Is it possible to challenge the decision of the classification committee through an appeal process?

It is possible to file an appeal, which will be reconsidered in the following cases:

• A family appeal: an application will be submitted for a renewed discussion of the patient’s classification, with updated or additional medical documents
• A change in the condition of the applicant who has already been defined as physically impaired or cognitively impaired. In case of improvement or deterioration in the patient’s condition, a re-examination of the patient’s classification will be needed, and if required, the patient will be transferred to an appropriate facility
• If the health bureau team receives new information regarding the patient's condition, they may initiate a new discussion about his classification
  
  • If at least three months have passed since the classification date and the applicant has not yet been hospitalized, the classification decision should be updated, according to up-to-date documents and examination, as applicable
  • If the appeal has been rejected by the Regional Classification Committee, the classification can be appealed by contacting the head of geriatrics division in the Ministry of Health via written correspondence, along with the relevant documents to the address:

Head of Geriatrics Division, Ministry of Health, 39 Jeremiah St., POB 1176, Jerusalem 9101002, or via Kol Habriut *5400

Yes. If a patient or their family disagrees with the level of copayment assigned, they may send an appeal in writing through a social worker.

How do you appeal?

You can submit an appeal in writing through a social worker in the health bureau in the patient’s area of residence. The appeal should include a letter of request with solid reasoning, and any relevant supporting documents. The social worker will send the application and their recommendation in writing to the appropriate appeal committee (regional or national).

Patients and family members are typically required to sign commitment forms and standing orders prior to hospitalization.
However, in rare cases, a patient may be referred for hospitalization before signing these documents. The decision to do so is made at the discretion of the regional or district doctor, or the regional geriatrics doctor.

It is important to point out:

• The family will be required to pay for the copayment from the start of the hospitalization and and there is a possibility of retroactive collection
• If the outstanding balance is not paid, actions to collect the debt will be pursued

Yes. Nursing benefits are limited to individuals who live at home or in assisted living facilities, meaning they are not applicable to those living in institutions.

The patient and the family’s copayment will be reduced if the patient has been admitted to a hospital or when a patient who stays in a nursing facility funded by the Ministry of Health, goes out on a holiday.

The Ministry of Health delivers partial payment to the geriatric facility as part of the agreement “Reserving a Bed”: a sum received by the facility and determined by the Ministry of Health to reserve a bed while the patient is admitted to a hospital. As part of this agreement, the facility will reserve the patient’s place for at least 30 consecutive days.