Welfare Services for Persons with Disabilities Law, 5782-2022

The Minister may authorise, from among the employees of his Ministry, inspectors who shall be vested with the powers under this Chapter, all or some of them, for the purpose of supervising the implementation of the provisions under this Law by each of the following:

A person may be authorised as an inspector as referred to in section 21 only if all of the following conditions are fulfilled:

Notice of the appointment of an inspector under this Chapter shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).

For the purpose of performing his functions under this Chapter, an inspector may –

An inspector shall not exercise the powers vested in him under this Chapter except in the course of performing his functions and when both of the following conditions are met:

Nothing in the provisions of this Chapter shall derogate from the supervisory powers vested in the Ministry of Welfare under any law, including under the Supervision of Hostels Law, 5725-1965, and the Rehabilitative Day Care Centres Law.

In this Chapter –

"Budget Foundations Law" – the Budget Foundations Law, 5745-1985;

"annual budget law" – as defined in the Budget Foundations Law;

"first period" – the period from the commencement of the fiscal year 2024 until the end of the fiscal year in which the maximum budgetary supplement fixed in section 28(1)(a)(1) was determined in the annual budget law;

"second period" – the period commencing at the end of the first period and thereafter;

"base budget" – the budget of the Ministry of Welfare for the provision of welfare services as determined in the annual budget law for fiscal year 2022, 5782-2021;

"determining budget" – the base budget together with the maximum budgetary supplement fixed in section 28(1)(a)(1);

"budget for the provision of welfare services" – the amounts set out in an annual budget law in the Ministry of Welfare's budget item designated for the provision of welfare services to eligible persons whose entitlement was anchored pursuant to the provisions of this Law and which is not anchored in other legislation and arrangements, including such services for residents of Israel in the area, pursuant to an arrangement determined under the law of the area;

"budget for the provision of welfare services in a preceding year" – the budget for the provision of welfare services in the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the budget is being determined;

"budgetary changes" – changes made pursuant to section 11 of the Budget Foundations Law, to the budget for the provision of welfare services in a preceding year.

The aggregate of the amounts to be allocated in an annual budget law for the financing of the costs involved in the provision of welfare services under this Law and pursuant to an arrangement determined under the law of the area for the provision of welfare services for residents of Israel shall be as set out below and shall be determined in the Ministry of Welfare's budget item:

The Minister, with the consent of the Minister of Finance, shall, commencing from the second period and thereafter, update the budget for the provision of welfare services in an annual budget law, if changes have occurred that are involved in the cost of the services, and in accordance with the cost components of such services.

Nothing in the provisions of this Chapter shall override the Budget Foundations Law.

A person who has received information pursuant to the provisions of this Law in the course of performing his function or in the course of his work shall keep it confidential, shall not disclose it to another and shall not make any use of it, except pursuant to the provisions of this Law or another enactment, or pursuant to a court order or a decision of a diagnosis committee.

Where the consent of an eligible person or a recognition applicant is required pursuant to the provisions of this Law, or the hearing of his position or his participation in the process is required, and he has a representative, but he is capable of consenting, expressing his position or participating in the process himself, the said requirement shall be deemed to also oblige the consent, hearing of the position or participation in the process of the eligible person or the recognition applicant himself.

The Director General of the Ministry of Welfare, or a person on his behalf, shall publish available and accessible information to the public with respect to everything pertaining to the rights of persons with disabilities to receive welfare services under this Law and with respect to the manner of submitting complaints to the Ministry of Welfare regarding the implementation of this Law.

The Minister, or a person authorised by him for that purpose, may approve the operation of welfare services on an experimental basis for the purpose of examining their benefit, provided that their total operating cost does not exceed 5% of the budget for the provision of welfare services as defined in section 27.

A welfare service of a rehabilitative day care centre to which a toddler with a disability is entitled to receive under the Rehabilitative Day Care Centres Law shall be provided under the Rehabilitative Day Care Centres Law only, and not under this Law; for this purpose, "toddler with a disability" – as defined in the Rehabilitative Day Care Centres Law.

[An amendment was made to the Welfare Law (Treatment of Persons with Intellectual-Developmental Disabilities), 5729-1969]

In the Administrative Courts Law, 5760-2000, in the Second Schedule, in item 22, the following shall be added at the end: "and also a decision of the appeals committee under that Law, in an appeal under section 20 of the Welfare Services for Persons with Disabilities Law, 5782-2022".

This Law shall commence 18 months from the date of its publication (hereinafter – the commencement date); initial Regulations on the matters listed in section 39(a) shall be made by the commencement date.