Dealing with major organizations such as the National Insurance Institute is difficult and complex, certainly for anyone who does not have legal and professional tools and knowledge. For people who are seeking to secure all their rights, the legal firm of attorney and notary Gil Goldreich provides complete and full professional support for National Insurance Institute claims, physical injuries and the rights of people with disabilities and medical rights.
Founded and managed by Adv. Gil Goldreich, the firm has engaged in the field of physical injury and the rights of people with disabilities for 26 years. The experienced team of 14 employees includes six seasoned lawyers, who focus their activity and harness their expertise to obtain the full rights to which the firm’s clients are entitled in cases of injury or illness.
To ensure that every effort is made to receive full compensation in each claim, Adv. Goldreich has established a staff that consists of professional lawyers and a medical team with a legal orientation. The medical team is headed by Prof. Gideon Shoshani, a lawyer by education and a former department manager in a public hospital, and Shiran Elbaz, a communications clinician, expert in legal audiology, and more. The staff members provide opinions and advice in the cases that the firm leads.
The tests that determine the fate of the case
“National Insurance claims are not simple and it is very difficult to receive benefits, compensation and the assistance to which you are legally entitled, when you claim on your own and without legal assistance,” says Adv. Goldreich. “In our firm we deal only with the area of physical injuries, damages and medical rights and we provide everything necessary in order to succeed in the claims.”
How does it work?
“We have a support system of experts in the firm – a large, full team of lawyers, doctors and ‘combat support staff’ as we call them. In addition, at least two lawyers work together on each case and accompany the client through each stage of the claim. This includes guidance on carrying out particular medical tests, some of which the health funds have not heard of, and on which the entire case is sometimes based. Those tests – or a lack of them – can determine whether the case succeeds or not.”
In what cases do people claim from the NII?
“In any case in which a person is injured, becomes sick or is limited physically or mentally, it is almost certainly possible to claim from the NII. It is strongly recommended to consult a lawyer who is an expert in the field for this purpose. In many cases you can claim both from the NII and from the insurance companies or other entities. We examine each case on its merits. In cases where the customer has no insurance policy or private or group pension fund and in cases where the illness, injury or disability have no specific cause, usually they only claim from the NII.
Adv. Goldreich adds that it is possible to claim from the NII for any illness in relation to the damage that it causes. He says that there are chronic illnesses that do not directly affect everyday life and the patient can work and function, but if they are caused by work, it is possible to claim from the NII and sometimes from the employer. In addition, sometimes people who work for a living despite their disability are entitled to full exemption from income tax. Adv. Goldreich’s firm also provides legal assistance and accompanies cases of this kind.
How is National Insurance compensation calculated?
“There is compensation that works according to a principle of loss of working capacity, which is received when there is certification that it is not possible to work. Likewise, there is compensation for loss of working capacity unrelated to disability and compensation can be received for disabilities unrelated to loss of working capacity. Compensation from the NII is calculated according to the law and the kind of claim. If you claim for general disability, compensation is calculated according to the level of incapacity and according to the family status. For example, if the claimant has young children, or their spouse earns less than about 6,000 shekels a month, they can expect to receive a significant addition to the benefit.
How do you appear before a medical committee?
Adv. Goldreich adds that in the case of injury in a work accident, compensation is calculated according to a number of parameters, the main one of which is the percentages of disability that is determined. “In cases of this kind, the claimant's level of earning in the months before the work accident is calculated and also whether the accident affected the claimant’s ability to earn a living, even partially,” he explains.
What does the role of a lawyer in National Insurance claims involve?
“First, they have to identify the track in which it is best to claim from the NII. In many cases the claim against the NII is parallel to the insurance claim and it is necessary to know how to navigate between the two. A lawyer who is an expert in the field needs to have a comprehensive holistic view that sees the whole picture.
When it comes to choosing the correct track, the lawyer builds the case for the claim. “In most cases, the doctors in public medicine don’t relate to the legal aspect of almost every injury or illness and when you reach the medical committees or the court, you discover that important tests are missing that should have already been carried out at the stage of discovering the illness or injury,” says Adv. Goldreich. “Therefore, it is important to consult a skilled lawyer at the earliest stage of the claim so that they will guide the claimant or the injured party as to what tests to request from the doctors and to record all the complaints in the medical documents.”
Adv. Goldreich also adds that you need to prepare for any appearance before a medical committee, and receive instructions from a lawyer who is involved in the field. This, he says, is because the medical committee provides a very narrow window of opportunity, in which you can raise your claims, and therefore it is important to be prepared and focused.
“The lawyer guides the claimant about all the traps that the committee can set and teaches them how to pass them successfully. In addition, every client receives guidance on how to cope with the covert investigations that will be difficult to contend with at a later stage,” says Adv. Goldreich, and adds that “another role of the lawyer is to present an appeal in the event that the claim is rejected or not recognized for one reason or another.”
The firm of Gil Goldreich does not restrict itself only to legal guidance, and initiates activities and public campaigns for the rights of people with disabilities. “Apart from all the services that we provide in order to ensure greater chances of success, we carry out unconventional activities in order to advance the client’s interests. We even initiate demonstrations against the institutions when there is injustice,” Adv. Goldreich concludes.
Gil Goldreich Law Firm
Tel Aviv: 4 Berkovitch St. (Museum Tower)
Haifa: 43A Rubinstein St.
Telephone: 077-5350634
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