A Disabled Person’s Waiting Exemption in Israel
Are you entitled to a disabled person’s waiting exemption in Israel? Israeli residents with certain types of disabilities are entitled to an exemption from waiting in line. If you qualify for this right, then you should receive a disability card (teudat neche) that includes an explicit reference to this exemption. This right must be honored by any public institution or private business that serves the general public. The following article will explain who is eligible for a disabled person’s waiting exemption in Israel. It will also describe exactly where the exemption applies and under what circumstances. If you have any additional questions on the rights of people with disabilities in Israel, or if you require legal help, feel free to contact our law office: 03-3724722.
What is a waiting exemption?
If you are a person with a disability and you qualify for a waiting exemption, then in most places of service you are entitled to be served before anyone else. According to Israeli law, it is your legal right to be served without waiting in line in any public site. For the purpose of this exemption, the term public site refers both to public institutions (e.g. a post office or a governmental department) as well as to private businesses that provide a paid service to the general public (such as an amusement park, supermarket, pharmacy, etc.).
Who is entitled to a disabled waiting exemption in Israel?
Anyone who qualifies for a disability card and who also has an intellectual disability, a mental disability, or is on the autism spectrum is entitled to this exemption. If you meet these criteria, then a personal disability card should automatically be sent to you by the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi). Your right to a waiting exemption should be clearly stated on the card.
Your right to privacy
Note that even though your exemption from waiting will be explicitly written on the card, the exact nature of your disability will not be revealed. No person is permitted to require that you disclose details about your disabilities. Therefore, in order to protect your privacy, the nature of your disability will not be specified on your disability card. Likewise, when you enter a place of service, it is illegal for the service provider to ask about your disability. Nonetheless, they are entitled to demand that you prove that you qualify for this exemption by displaying a valid disability card in tandem with your national ID card.
Is anyone else exempt from waiting in line?
In Israel, pregnant women and elderly people over the age of 80 are also exempt from waiting in line in certain locations. However, priority should always be given to the person with a disability card if the card explicitly specifies that they are entitled to this exemption.
When is the exemption not applicable?
An exemption from waiting in line does not have to be granted while waiting in line for medical care (but it is applicable in pharmacies). Nor must it be granted while queuing up to enter a vehicle of public transportation or if the queue itself is vehicular (e.g. at a gas station). It is also not applicable when the waiting time is negligible. Additionally, according to a judicial ruling, a place of service is permitted to allocate a specific ticket stand or cashier station for those who are exempt from waiting in line. However, in that case, there must be a large clear sign indicating which cashier the person with disabilities should approach.
Other articles of interest
We hope that this article, A Disabled Person’s Waiting Exemption in Israel, has been useful to you. If so, then you will find many other articles on our website that may be relevant to you, such as Disability Rights in Israel – a Summary, How to Get a Disability Card in Israel, Who is Entitled to a Caretaker Entrance Fee Exemption in Israel, and more.
Contact us
The attorneys in our law office are very experienced at liaising between private citizens and the authorities. If you have any more questions regarding the disabled waiting exemption in Israel, please feel free to contact our law offices. Likewise, consider contacting us if you need legal assistance in submitting your application or appealing a ruling that denied you this exemption. Alternatively, if you have a disability card that includes this exemption but a place of business has illegally declined to honor this exemption, then our offices can help you sue for damages.
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:מאמרים מומלצים