
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday turned to Labor Minister Yoav Ben Tzur, demanding that he add to the daycare subsidy criteria a special eligibility status for reservists serving in the IDF.
In his letter, Smotrich explained, "We want to thank you for making the eligibility criteria for receiving daycare subsidies available to the public. This is an important and significant step in ensuring the welfare of families in Israel. At the same time, we would like to raise an urgent issue which requires immediate rectification."
"Reservists who served in the Swords of Iron war find themselves suffering financially due to the reduction in their eligibility level, due to the benefits and grants that they received throughout the war. This situation creates an unacceptable imbalance: On the one hand, the State supports them for their contribution, but on the other hand, they suffer financially because of that."
"In order to prevent a delay in the eligibility status of the entire public, the criteria were approved in the current format, but we must act to immediately correct the eligibility criteria by means of adding an eligibility status especially for reservists. We are sure that you will be able to lead a quick solution that will benefit the population of reservists who are so dear to all of us."
He added, "On the face of things, there is no need for any budgetary additions, since this is a process which will bring the reservists back to the level they would have been it had there been no grants. For example, a reservist who would have been eligible as a student, and now his subsidy for that status is included in the budget, lost his status due to the calculations for the reservists' grants being included as part of his income, and now he will be able to receive the status again, due to the amended eligibility criteria."