Fibromyalgia and Bituach Leumi

Fibromyalgia is a debilitating disease, which is often misunderstood. Many who suffer from fibromyalgia are left unable to work, and with limited mobility. Some try to file for disability payment and assistance from Bituach Leumi, but unfortunately, a diagnosis of fibromyalgia is usually not enough to qualify.

How to qualify for help:

*Please note: this is not a guarantee that taking these steps will qualify you for assistance or disability payments from Bituach Leumi.

1. Start by seeing your family doctors and getting referred to appropriate specialists.
2. While seeing these doctors, you must receive written documentation of specific limitations (not just a fibromyalgia diagnoses), such as limited mobility, joint pain, neurological impairments, muscle weakness, irregular MRI/emg results, ongoing pain medication, or usage for neuropathy. It is important you are documenting recent ailments from multiple specialists, and not just a diagnosis of a single chronic illness.
3. Use these documents to apply for Bituach Leumi. We strongly recommend reaching out to Yad Mechavenet at *2496. Although they can't guarantee services in English, they provide assistance for properly preparing for the medical committee which will analyze your case and determine whether or not you are eligible for benefits.  

In the end, the role of the medical board of Bituach Leumi is to add together the different medical conditions you have proven to be suffering from, and calculate your percentage of disability, and in turn, determine what benefits you are entitled to receive.

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Other helpful links:

http://www.kolzchut.org.il/en/Establishing_the_Degree_of_Incapacity