Acting National Insurance Institute Director General Zvika Cohen said some parents treat an autism diagnosis as an "exit" to a stipend, sparking fury at a conference. A mother of two children on the autism spectrum confronted him; the NII later said his comments were taken out of context.
Acting National Insurance Institute Director General Zvika Cohen ignited a firestorm of criticism during a conference on Monday after reportedly stating that some parents treat an autism diagnosis as an "exit" — a way to secure a state stipend. In video footage circulating on social media, a mother of two children on the autism spectrum interrupted the event, shouting: "You are slandering us. You should be ashamed." The National Insurance Institute later said in a statement that Cohen's remarks were taken out of context, and that he was referring to isolated cases of fraud, not to families of children on the spectrum. The incident highlights longstanding tensions between disability-rights advocates and the agency over the framing of benefits. No further details on the exact context of Cohen's remarks were available from this report.
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