The Knesset Arrangements Committee approved the Combat PTSD bill with cross-party support. The legislation defines combat PTSD for the first time in law, granting legal recognition, tailored rehabilitation through the Defense Ministry, and expanded benefits. The bill is expected to pass its second and third readings this week.
Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz formally passed the Combat PTSD bill in the Knesset Arrangements Committee at 16:32 Jerusalem, shortly after the committee approved the measure at 16:25. The cross-party legislation now proceeds to its second and third readings in the plenary, expected this week.
The Zioneer reported the committee's initial approval at 16:25, noting that the bill defines combat PTSD in Israeli law for the first time. By 16:29, we detailed the full scope: legal recognition, tailored rehabilitation through the Defense Ministry's Rehabilitation Division, and expanded benefits for veterans and their families. The thread's consistent framing underscores broad cross-party consensus on the need to address combat trauma.
The bill follows a series of legislative efforts for security-force veterans. As The Zioneer reported on June 9, Israel approved a law capping attorney fees for disabled veterans, addressing a market failure. The Combat Trauma Victims topic page, published July 9, contextualizes the long-standing advocacy for specialized recognition. The legislation also moves forward amid other coalition bills, including the Basic Law: Torah Study, which the Knesset Committee weighed in July.
With the committee stage complete, the bill's fate depends on the second and third readings in the Knesset plenary this week. Passage would grant legal status to combat PTSD sufferers for the first time.
6 developments
- StrongKnesset Committee approves Basic Law: Torah Study; coalition races ahead of election recess
- StrongCommunications Committee approves media reform bill for final Knesset votes
- StrongKnesset committees to approve final bills ahead of election recess
- StrongCombat veterans shout 'You all made a fool of us' as they burst into Knesset committee
Source and signal
- Internal intake