Committee for Adapting Vehicles - Matching Vehicles and Driving Accessories for Disabled Persons

Disabled persons who need a vehicle to be adapted for them, or who need special driving accessories, are forwarded to the Road Safety Medical Institute (MARVAD). The committee for adapting vehicles is the body responsible for handling this matter in the institute.
The committee operates under clause 9(a) of the agreement on mobility pensions, which was signed between the Ministry of Finance and the National Insurance Institution on June 1, 1977.

The committee’s responsibility is to match vehicles for people with disabilities according to instructions received from the National Insurance Institution, according to which the disabled person will be assigned a vehicle - the most suitable and cost-effective - from among the suitable vehicles, including the appropriate driving accessories as needed.

Committee Members
The committees for adapting vehicles are medical boards, made up of specialist doctors, technical advisors and aboard secretariat.

• Referral to the committee by the National Insurance Institution - shall only be done via the mobility unit in the National Insurance Institution, and not via any other authority. The National Insurance Institution forwards the request to the MARVAD.
• Summons to the committees for adapting vehicles - the summons is issued by the MARVAD adapting vehicles department by mail or, in special cases, by phone. The summons letter will detail the documents you will need to bring with you.
• Prior to your arrival at the committees for adapting vehicles, you must examine the representative vehicle that was allocated to you at the mobility department of the National Insurance Institution.
• Arrival for Evaluation - Be sure to arrive half an hour prior to the time allocated to you. Please note that entry to the committee is not always according to the order of arrival - there are cases where the committee is authorized to invite a different invitee to enter before you, depending on the medical circumstances and/or for reasons which are not always plain to see.
  The committee hours are not fixed and they depend to a large extent on the complexity of the examination needed. In order to make the examination process as easy as possible, you must prepare all of the documents in advance and have them in your possession as instructed.

• Escort - you are allowed to arrive at the committee meeting with an escort such as a relative, an attorney, an interpreter, etc.
• Submission of personal documentation (details of the documents below) - the documents must be submitted to the committee on the day of the hearing.
• Inspection of the file by the committee - prior to your entering the committee hearing, the committee staff goes over the documents and your personal file.
• Progression of the Examination - upon entering the committee hearing, you will be introduced to the members of the committee, after which you will be requested to present your medical condition to the committee. You must also state which vehicle you currently have in your possession, whether you have checked if the vehicle provides a solution for your disability and which vehicle you are requesting.
  The committee doctor performs a physical examination, where the examination refers to the relevant medical documents, your disability, and the disease you are suffering from.
• Committee Protocol - at the end of every hearing, a summary protocol is sent to the patient and, in parallel, to the National Insurance Institution (up to 30 days after convening the committee, unless further medical or other information was required). Upon receipt of the protocol you must contact the National Insurance Institution office close to your home and check what rights you are entitled to.
• Repeat Driving Test - if you were required to undergo a repeat driving test (the institute’s doctor may request the patient to undergo a driving test due to a change in the mode of driving to driving with the assistance of special driving accessories) and you have successfully passed the test, you must send the committee for adapting Vehicles a copy of the new driver’s license by fax, including the declaration form that was sent to you together with the protocol.
• Appeal - if you wish to file an appeal (dispute) of the recommendation which the committee made in your case, you must submit a letter through the National Insurance Institution only. Please note that it is not possible to contact the committee secretariat for this.

 
Remarks

• In cases where a mobility-impaired person has submitted his case to the committee for adapting Vehicles as a driver, then the applicant will also have to undergo a medical fitness to drive examination and, in addition, an examination with an Indicator (a special instrument for matching and fitting driving accessories) by an expert and a driving fitness doctor. This examination involves payment of a fee as specified by law within the process required under the fundamental law: State Economy and the Budget Fundamentals law, in regulation (195 B) (the fee amount is the amount specified for “Payment for Reviewing Documents” only.
• If you are interested in replacing the wheelchair in your possession, you are advised to submit the request for examination to the committee for adapting vehicles only after you have received your new wheelchair, in order to avoid delays in handling your case or a repeat summons to appear before the committee after having received the new wheelchair.
• The disabled person, and any one of the members of the committee, are required to report to the committee secretary if there is any relationship whatsoever between them, and the secretary shall take appropriate action. If necessary, this will include invitation of a different person to sit on the committee. All of this should be done at the earliest possible convenience.