Mobility Allowance: the Ministry of Health Committee, Limitation Percentages and the Benefit Basket
Mobility benefits are the only National Insurance route that begins in another ministry: a Ministry of Health medical committee sets the mobility limitation percentage, and National Insurance pays according to it. The threshold is above 40% for someone with a driving licence and above 60% for someone without, from age 3 to retirement age, and an objection to the committee is filed within 60 days.
“In mobility the list is closed: the committee checks whether the impairment is on the list, not how hard it is to walk. Whoever arrives with the right document for the right item saves a year.”
Adv. Yissachar Leibowitz · Head of the Social Security Department
Two bodies, two stages
Mobility benefits are granted under an agreement between the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Finance, not under the National Insurance Law. Hence the dual structure: a Ministry of Health medical committee determines whether the claimant is limited in mobility and the percentage of limitation, according to a closed list of impairments concerning the legs and movement. Only afterwards does one approach the National Insurance branch, which checks the remaining conditions and pays.
Entitlement applies to anyone aged 3 who has not yet reached retirement age. Whoever was entitled before retirement age continues to receive the benefits afterwards.
The closed list is the decisive point. Impairments not on the list, even when they make walking very difficult, do not qualify under this route, and other routes such as general disability or special services should be examined for them.
The Ministry of Health committee: application and examination
The application for a medical examination to determine mobility limitation is filed with the district health office, with up-to-date medical documents: orthopaedic or neurological summaries, imaging, and documentation of surgery or treatment. The committee examines the claimant, determines whether a mobility limitation exists, which impairment on the list it is, and the percentage of limitation.
The committee also determines facts that directly affect the benefits: whether the claimant needs and uses a wheelchair, whether they can drive, and whether the impairment is temporary or permanent.
Both the claimant and the National Insurance Institute may object to the committee decision within 60 days, to a Ministry of Health medical appeals committee. The objection is built from the protocol and from the item chosen on the list.
The thresholds: 40%, 60%, 80% and a wheelchair
The limitation percentage set by the Ministry of Health committee meets the question of licence and vehicle, and that is how the benefit basket is determined:
- Limitation above 40%, for someone with a valid driving licence: entitlement to a standing loan for the purchase of a vehicle and to a monthly mobility allowance.
- Limitation above 60%, for someone without a licence for whom someone else drives: the same benefits, with the vehicle registered in the claimant’s name and used for their needs.
- Without a vehicle: a mobility allowance for someone with no vehicle is granted from age 18, to anyone assessed at 80% or more, or 100% in certain cases, or to anyone who needs and uses a wheelchair.
A person limited in mobility whose distance from home to work and back is at least 40 km may be entitled to a supplement to the allowance. The allowance amounts are updated according to fuel prices and vehicle costs, and are therefore not stated here.
The benefit basket: allowance, loans and services
Mobility is not a single allowance but a basket, and each benefit in it is examined under its own conditions:
- A monthly mobility allowance, for vehicle owners and non-owners, as a contribution to mobility expenses.
- A standing loan for the purchase of a first vehicle or a replacement, financing the taxes on the vehicle, which is not repaid as long as the conditions are met.
- A loan from the loan fund for the purchase of a new vehicle.
- Accessories: a loan or reimbursement for the purchase and installation of vehicle accessories, and a loan for a wheelchair lift.
- Driving lessons in a vehicle with special accessories.
- Towing services for someone who bought a vehicle with a standing loan and receives an allowance.
- A disabled parking badge from the Ministry of Transport.
A mobility allowance recipient may in some cases also receive the special services benefit: when the special services entitlement is 112% or more, when 100% mobility limitation has been determined, or when the claimant uses a wheelchair according to the Ministry of Health determination.
Approaching National Insurance after the committee
With the Ministry of Health determination in hand, a claim is filed at the Institute branch with the mobility department. The Institute checks the remaining conditions, including age, residency, licence, ownership of the vehicle and its use for the claimant’s needs, and decides. The Institute may accept the Ministry of Health determination, temporarily or permanently, and may also object to it.
A vehicle bought with a standing loan is subject to conditions: use for the needs of the person limited in mobility, no transfer without approval, and partial repayment of the loan if the conditions cease to apply. Breach of the conditions is the most common source of debts on this route, so it is worth understanding them before signing.
Objections and appeals on both routes
Two bodies, two objection routes. The Ministry of Health committee decision is contested before a Ministry of Health medical appeals committee within 60 days. National Insurance decisions on non-medical matters, such as licence, vehicle ownership or residency, are challenged before the claims committee within 6 months or in the regional labour court within 12 months.
Anyone whose condition has worsened may request re-examination by the Ministry of Health committee, and anyone whose impairment was determined as temporary is summoned to a repeat examination at the end of the period. Preparation for the repeat examination is the same as for the first: the documents that match the item on the list.
In summary
In summary, mobility benefits are granted from age 3 to retirement age to anyone for whom a Ministry of Health medical committee has determined a mobility limitation under a closed list: above 40% for a licence holder, above 60% for someone driven by another, and at least 80% or a wheelchair for someone without a vehicle. The basket includes a monthly allowance, a standing loan for a vehicle, accessories, driving lessons, towing and a parking badge. An objection to the Ministry of Health committee is filed within 60 days.
The complexity is that the route is split between two bodies with two objection routes, that the list is closed, and that the conditions of the standing loan create debts for those who did not understand them. A lawyer who knows the Ministry of Health list of impairments and the Institute’s conditions knows which item to aim the documents at and what to check before signing the loan.
If you or a family member have difficulty with mobility and are considering applying, or the Ministry of Health committee has set a percentage that does not reflect the condition, contact us with the medical documents and we will tell you frankly whether the impairment is on the list and what basket can be expected.
What comes up most about mobility
Who determines the mobility limitation percentage?
A Ministry of Health medical committee, according to a closed list of impairments, not National Insurance. Only after its determination does one approach the Institute branch, which checks the remaining conditions and pays.
What percentage is needed?
More than 40% for someone with a valid driving licence, and more than 60% for someone without a licence for whom another person drives. An allowance for someone without a vehicle is granted from age 18, at 80% or more, at 100% in certain cases, or to a wheelchair user.
What does the benefit basket include?
A monthly mobility allowance, a standing loan for the purchase or replacement of a vehicle, a loan from the fund for a new vehicle, a loan or reimbursement for accessories and a lift, driving lessons in an adapted vehicle, towing services and a disabled parking badge. Each benefit has its own conditions.
Can I also receive special services?
Yes, in three cases: a special services entitlement of 112% or more, 100% mobility limitation according to the Ministry of Health, or wheelchair use according to the Ministry of Health determination. Otherwise one of the two must be chosen.
How long do I have to object to the Ministry of Health committee?
60 days from receiving the decision, to a Ministry of Health medical appeals committee. The National Insurance Institute may also object. Institute decisions on non-medical matters are challenged before the claims committee within 6 months or in the court within 12 months.
My impairment is not on the list. What now?
The mobility route is closed to impairments not on the Ministry of Health list, but the same medical condition may qualify under other routes: general disability according to the effect on earning capacity, or special services according to dependence on others. It is worth examining all of them together.
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Send us the medical documents. We will check whether the impairment is on the Ministry of Health list, which threshold you are aiming at, and what to check before the standing loan.