PM’s office says agreement reached on disability benefits bill

The Prime Minister’s Office says an agreement has been reached on a bill that would raise disability benefits.

The announcement comes hours after a dispute between the Finance and Welfare ministries threatened to hold up the draft legislation’s advancement in the Knesset.

In a statement, the PMO says the agreement, which will allocate an additional NIS 4.2 billion ($1.23 billion) for disability benefits, was reached during a conference call between Prime Minister Netanyahu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Welfare Minister Haim Katz.

It says the bill will now advance to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, whose approval is necessary if the legislation is to receive the coalition’s backing on in the Knesset.

The government bill was scheduled to be voted on today by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, then by the Finance Committee, and followed by a first reading in the Knesset — all by the end of the day.

However, the ministerial committee put off the vote after the Finance Ministry’s budgeting department failed to reach agreement with the Welfare Ministry over whether the allowances would be linked to the average wage index.

Disability allowances are currently linked to the consumer price index.

— Stuart Winer