Physical surveillance of benefits claimants in Israel

In Israel, the National Insurance Institutes sends out anti-fraud officers to spy on benefits claimants. Among the cases reported, a woman had her benefits allowances halved after a man entered her house pretending to be interested in buying the flat next door. The man, who was in fact a NII employee, discretely took picture of the woman to argue she was not actually severely disabled. The woman was eventually able to regain her full allowance.

The growing number of controversial cases of disability assessment in Israel have led families of benefits claimants to be present during the assessment and to film or photograph the assessment. The NII responded by publishing a circular in 2013 arguing that the filming of those assessment was a violation of their employee’s privacy and asking their employees to leave and not carry the assessment when being filmed by the family and to write down the benefits claimants as refusing to comply.

http://mynetnetanya.co.il/%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/881

Author: Marina Golan

Publication: MyNet Natanya 

https://blogs.haaretz.co.il/einatkedem/3608/

Author: Einat Kedem

Publication: Haaretz blogs

img2.timg.co.il/CommunaFiles/54031024.pdf

Author: National Insurance Institute