Helping families who cannot afford essential equipment

PROJECT 

Rehabilitation Assistance Program for individuals or families with special needs or disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

Enable people in financial need to purchase expensive rehabilitation equipment.

IMPORTANCE

The ability to purchase essential rehabilitation equipment is crucial to the quality of life of a person with a disability.

INVESTMENT

The requested donation is $61,000 for funding for two years to support approximately 50 people.

THE BACKGROUND

For many people with special needs or a disability, having access to or ownership of rehabilitation or other support equipment makes a significant difference to their quality of life. However, this equipment is often very costly and there is a growing number of people in Tel Aviv-Yafo who need financial assistance to purchase essential equipment. Most, but not all, rehabilitation/support equipment is subsidized by the Israeli Ministry of Health. There are 18,844 residents of Tel Aviv-Yafo who receive disability benefits from various sources (e.g. Israel Ministry of Health). As of 2017, 20% of these receive direct support from the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo, and this number will grow as disability support shifts from a national to local government responsibility.

18,844 residents of Tel Aviv-Yafo receive disability benefits. 20% of disability benefit recipients receive support from the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo

THE NEED

People with special needs or disabilities often face barriers to purchasing communication, mobility or other support equipment which is essential to their ability to learn, improve or maintain various functions. In some cases, the equipment is not subsidized by the Israeli Health Ministry at all; in other cases, the cost of the equipment is prohibitively high despite the Israeli Government subsidy. While there are alternative funding sources for equipment for people with disabilities, including health insurance companies and non-government organizations, there remain special cases when additional funding is required, particularly for families in dire financial need. The financial situations of families with children or adults with disabilities or special needs can be particularly challenging as they face large expenses due to their disabilities.

The kinds of equipment required include:

– Hearing aids and batteries
– Support devices for children with severe cerebral palsy
– Wheelchairs
– Mobility vehicles
– Adaptive tricycles
– iPads with special software for alternative communication

Subsidies range from a few hundred shekels to 15,000 shekels ($4000) per product.

THE PROJECT

The Rehabilitation Assistance Program is managed by the Social Services Administration to assist individuals or families with special needs or disabilities to purchase essential rehabilitation equipment to improve their quality of life. The Program targets families in dire financial need who require additional financial support on top of any support they receive from the Israeli Ministry of Health, Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo, and other sources.

It is a needs-based scheme that assesses subsidy applicants against a set of criteria. Referrals are received through social workers from Social Services departments, specialist learning schools, or other rehabilitation service providers in Tel Aviv-Yafo which work with the Municipality. Applications will be assessed by a professional committee. To ensure support is distributed to as many people in need as possible, assistance will generally only be granted once every three years to the same applicant.

THE INVESTMENT

The Rehabilitation Assistance Program expects to support approximately 50 people in the next two years. These are special cases that need additional financial support, above and beyond the standard funding from government bodies or insurance companies.

TOTAL DONATION REQUESTED (funding for two years) $61,000

This funding will make a big difference in the quality of life of people in dire need.