No Money to Fix Terror Victim’s Wheelchair
This is but one of countless cases of heartless, abusive, indifferent and mal-feasant treatment of clients by bureaucrats in the local branches of Bituach Leumi.
About 3 weeks ago, I read that the two existing NII call centers in Dimona and Rehovot are on the chopping block, with some 64 workers soon to be dismissed.
These personnel are by far consistently the most courteous, professional people that I have dealt with in any Israeli government office, medical office, etc. which I have dealt with in Israel over the 6 1/2 years since my Aliyah.
One must understand that the local Bituach Leumi offices are next to impossible to deal with — often are abrupt, nasty and treat the client as if he were a criminal, refusing to answer questions, sitting in their offices yet refusing to receive their clients, refusing to help people. When the local Bituach Leumi Office sends you letters requiring information for continuance of benefits, these letters never arrive via the mail. I have my own suspicions concerning why the letters don’t arrive and about who gets paid-off by whom.
And so, the great multitude of honest, yet unemployed and down-on-their-luck Jews depend heavily upon the personnel at these call centers to answer questions, to tell them the contents of any unreceived mail sent by the local Bituach Leumi office, to tell them what information is needed to supply Bituach Leumi, when is it required that the information be in the hand of the local Bituach Leumi office, in order that they, the clients can respond in a timely fashion in order that their benefits not interrupted or cut off. This is the helping hand that multitudes receive from the highly patient, courteous and professional personnel of the call centers in Dimona and Rechovot. And I know that many look to and depend upon the help of these 64 employees that the powers-to-be in Bituach Leumi now wish to fire.
Further, the article cited starts out by outlining Bituach Leumi’s plans to set up a Teleall Contact Center in S’fat, undoubtedly with a whole string of automated menus in Iv’rit which fire off at undistinct, speed of light rapidity which many will never figure out, nor will there be any confidence in the information provided by these automated messages, nor will such automated menus give out the often specific information which clients request, i.e.; Did Bituach Leumi send them any letters?, What were the dates?, If there is a letter, what information in detail are they seeking?, By when is the information due at Bituach Leumi in order that one’s benefit is not interrupted?, etc.
And since I made Aliyah late in life (I am now 57 years old), my Iv’rit is not great and I need to fall back to English. I and others like me need to speak with personnel who speak, or at least understand, English. With the influx of English-speaking olim, I know that there are many others like me. We need to fall back to English so as to understand everything which relates to a given issue, every nuance so as to fulfill whatever the request is.
Chas V’Chalilla that clients are abandoned to the mercy of local Bituach Leumi offices and their heartless, vindictive Histadrut attitudes and mentalities such as those displayed by the arrogant bureaucrat who would deny Ms. Ganon the repairs that are needed to the wheelchair that she needs in order to function.
Exerpts;
(IsraelNN.com) Bituah Leumi (National Insurance Institute) officials insist their less expensive wheelchair is just as good and will not authorize NIS 20,000 ($4,310) for a wheelchair for terror victim Michal Ganon.
Michal’s therapists insist the wheelchair recommended in the only one that is truly suited to her needs, adding undoubtedly, the government bureaucrats are only concerned about money since no other wheelchair will meet her needs.
Bituah Leumi officials refuse to budge, denying the request, leaving Michal to fend for herself.