Disabled Child Benefit: Who Is Eligible, How Much Is Paid and How to Claim
The disabled child benefit is paid to the parents of a child under 18 who needs special medical treatment, depends on the help of others, or has been diagnosed with a listed impairment. The benefit ranges from ILS 1,943 to ILS 9,126 a month by entitlement level, a family with two disabled children receives a 50% supplement, and an objection is filed within 90 days.
“In a disabled child claim the parents are the central witnesses. The committee asks what the child does alone, and a prepared parent answers with facts, not with worry.”
Adv. Yissachar Leibowitz · Head of the Social Security Department
Who is eligible: three doors in
Entitlement to the disabled child benefit is granted to a parent, or to whoever has the child in their care, for the child of an insured Israeli resident, when the child is in Israel, up to age 18. Entitlement is preserved when the child is hospitalised, in a recognised institution or, since June 2024, in a foster family, although the amount may change.
Three doors lead to the benefit, each examined under its own tests:
- Special medical treatment, from the age of 91 days: a child who needs treatments the law defines explicitly, such as regular infusions, dialysis, oxygen therapy for most of the day, oncological treatment, or immunosuppressive drugs after a transplant.
- Dependence on the help of others, from age 3: a child who depends on others for daily activities to a degree beyond that of their peers, because of a physical, intellectual or mental impairment.
- A special impairment from a closed list: autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, epilepsy, visual and hearing impairments, developmental delay up to age 3, low developmental quotient in toddlers, and more. Some impairments qualify from birth.
A child with more than one qualifying impairment receives the benefit according to the impairment that qualifies for the higher amount.
Benefit amounts by entitlement level
The benefit is set as a percentage of a base amount, at five levels. The amounts as of 1 January 2026, per National Insurance Institute publications:
- 50%: ILS 1,943 a month.
- 100%: ILS 3,820.
- 112%: ILS 4,501.
- 188%: ILS 7,181.
- 235%: ILS 9,126.
Three supplements change the picture. A family with two or more disabled children is entitled to a benefit increased by 50% for each child. A ventilated child, ventilated continuously for at least 16 hours a day, is entitled to a supplement of ILS 10,774 at the 100% to 188% levels (at 235% the base drops to 188% and the supplement is added). And whoever has medical approval to employ two carers, and employs them in practice, is entitled to a supplement of ILS 7,182.
A child in an institution receives a reduced amount: ILS 673 at the 50% level and ILS 1,347 at the higher levels. The benefit cannot be attached, and is paid on the 28th of each month.
Filing the claim: forms and documents
The claim is filed by the parent, the guardian or whoever has the child in their care, on form BL/7821, at the National Insurance branch in the area of residence. A waiver of medical confidentiality (BL/7112) is attached, and for a dependence assessment from age 3, form BL/7824.
The documents that carry the file: discharge summaries and medical certificates detailing the treatments and their dates, confirmations of the educational or therapeutic setting, and in dependence claims, a factual description of what the child does alone and what not, compared with peers.
The benefit is paid retroactively for a limited period from the date of filing, so waiting “until the diagnosis settles” costs months of benefit. It is possible to file with the existing diagnosis and update.
The medical committee and the dependence assessment
In most cases the child is summoned to an Institute medical committee, where a paediatric specialist examines the child and asks the parents about the condition. The parents may ask for the decision to be made on the documents alone, and the Institute may, for its part, summon the child in any event. A protocol is recorded, and the parents sign it.
In dependence claims, for ages 3 to 18, the committee physician assesses the child’s function relative to peers in five areas: mobility within the home, dressing and undressing, bathing, eating and drinking, and personal hygiene. Each function receives a score, and the total determines the entitlement level. For a child who cannot attend because of the disability, a home assessment is considered.
Preparation for the committee is the parents’ preparation: knowing in advance what is asked, answering with facts on each of the five functions, and making sure everything said is recorded. A parent who describes the child on an unusually good day, or who exaggerates, harms the file no less than a parent who forgets.
Period of entitlement and re-examination
The Institute may limit the period of entitlement when a change in the child’s condition is expected, and may re-examine entitlement and its rate six months after the decision, or earlier if new facts come to light.
The parents may also initiate a re-examination: if the child’s condition has worsened, a declaration is filed with a physician’s certificate, and the Institute examines entitlement afresh. A child who reaches 18 moves to the adult route, where the general disability pension and the special services benefit are examined under different rules.
Objecting to the decision: 90 days
A decision on the disabled child benefit, a rejection or an entitlement level, is contested by a reasoned written objection within 90 days of receiving the decision, to a disabled child appeals committee. The committees sit at the main branches, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Haifa and Ramla, and may re-examine the child or decide on the documents.
Non-medical decisions, for example that the parent is not insured, that the child is not in Israel, or that the child is in an institution or foster care, are challenged by a claim in the regional labour court within 12 months. In these proceedings the claimant is entitled to state legal aid with no means test.
The objection is built from the protocol: which function was scored too low, which treatment was not considered, and which document was not placed before the committee. An objection that attaches a factual description of the five functions and confirmations from the educational setting is an objection that can stand.
Associated benefits for recipients
Beyond the benefit itself, parents of a disabled child are usually entitled to benefits from other bodies, each of which sets its own rules: a municipal tax discount from the local authority, an electricity discount for those entitled because of dependence or special medical treatment, water benefits, a disabled parking badge and a licence-fee discount from the Ministry of Transport, and benefits from the Ministry of Education, the health funds, the Ministry of Welfare and the Ministry of Housing.
When buying a home, parents may also qualify for purchase tax relief, and at 18 separate routes open for the adult child. The benefits are not automatic; most require an application with the Institute’s confirmation of entitlement.
In summary
In summary, the disabled child benefit is paid for a child under 18 who is in Israel, along three routes: special medical treatment from 91 days, dependence on the help of others from age 3, and special impairments from a closed list. The benefit ranges from ILS 1,943 to ILS 9,126, with supplements for a family with two disabled children, for a ventilated child and for two carers. An objection is filed within 90 days, and a court claim within 12 months.
The complexity is that the three routes are examined under different tests, that the scoring in the dependence assessment depends on comparison with peers, and that the parents are the central witnesses. A lawyer who knows the five functions and the list of impairments knows which route the child belongs to and what needs to be said and recorded at the committee.
If you are parents of a child with special needs and are considering a claim, or have received a decision that does not reflect the child’s condition, contact us with the medical documents and we will tell you frankly which route and which level to pursue.
What comes up most about the disabled child benefit
From what age can a disabled child benefit be received?
It depends on the route: special medical treatment from 91 days, dependence on the help of others from age 3, and certain listed impairments, such as Down syndrome or sensory impairments, qualify from birth. Entitlement continues until age 18.
How much is paid?
By entitlement level, as of 1 January 2026: ILS 1,943 (50%), 3,820 (100%), 4,501 (112%), 7,181 (188%) and 9,126 (235%). A family with two or more disabled children receives a 50% supplement for each child, and a ventilated child is entitled to a supplement of ILS 10,774.
Does the child have to appear before the committee?
In most cases the child is summoned. The parents may ask for a decision on the documents alone, and the Institute may summon in any event. In a dependence assessment from age 3 a committee examination is usually required, and for a child who cannot attend a home assessment is considered.
How long do I have to object?
A reasoned written objection is filed within 90 days of receiving the decision, to a disabled child appeals committee. Non-medical decisions, such as residency or a stay in an institution, are challenged by a claim in the regional labour court within 12 months.
The child is hospitalised or in an institution. Does the benefit stop?
Not necessarily. During hospitalisation for treatment or rehabilitation the benefit continues for up to 12 months from admission, and is then re-examined. A child in an institution receives a reduced amount, and a child in foster care has been entitled since June 2024.
Can a mobility allowance be received as well?
The mobility allowance is examined separately, according to a Ministry of Health committee determination, from age 3. In some cases both can be received, and in others the standing loan for a vehicle affects entitlement to the disabled child benefit. Details on our mobility allowance page.
All department pages
General disability · Committees and appeals
General disability claimFibromyalgiaBenefits overviewRepresentation at the medical committeePreparing for the medical committeeObjections and appealsMedical opinionParents of a child with special needs?
Send us the diagnosis and the discharge summaries. We will check which route the child belongs to, at which level, and what needs to be said and recorded at the committee.