What Is The Rehabilitation Basket?

The Rehabilitation Basket (Sal Shikum) is a collection of services provided by the Ministry of Health, to assist mentally ill people in various fields. The full list of services can be found on the Ministry of Health website. Some of the fields included are:

Housing

Protected housing – independent living support for mentally ill people. The support staff includes a case manager who helps build and implement a rehabilitation program, and a mentor who provides guidance and support one to three times a week, as needed.
Kehila Tomechet – communal housing for the mentally ill; this type of housing is independent with close guidance.
Hostels – communal housing for the mentally ill, designated for those who need more intensive support and guidance for daily function.

Leisure

Yalla Mevalim – a social group including social gatherings, outings, trips, and more. There are options designated for the LGBT community.
Amitim – a program for integration in community leisure activities.
Social club – a social and leisure center with an emphasis on improving social skills.
Social mentoring – one-on-one guidance including learning and improving social skills.

Occupation

Supported occupation – occupational guidance in the workplace or in the process of finding a job. The guidance can be in coordination with the place of work but is not necessary. Additionally, you can receive assistance in opening an independent business, and there are programs for volunteering in National Service or the IDF.
Occupational club – a club that assists in the job search process, learning work skills, and allows trying out various jobs.
Protected occupation (Mifal Mugan) – Mifal Mugan is a place where you can work in a protected, less demanding environment. Here you receive “Dmei Shikum” instead of a salary as payment, the amount varies from place to place, though usually it is a very small sum (less than minimum wage). Work hours range between 4-7 hours a day.

Education

Educational mentoring – guidance with the aim of social and educational integration in an academic institution.
Guidance during vocational studies – social and educational guidance.
Prep (Mechina) for higher education – prep courses (Mechinas) that take place in various academic institutions in the country and include evaluation and studies at the Mechina, preparation and choosing of a course of study (academic or trade), and acquiring relevant skills for education.
Education completion – assistance in completing or improving basic education (for example Bagruyot, high school completion, Ulpan, and more).

Financial Aid

Purchasing residential equipment – you can receive up to 3500 NIS in financial aid for purchasing equipment/furniture for your home. Further information is available here. (Note that the details about desktop computers are relevant for laptop computers as well. You can submit a special request for purchasing a computer for the entire sum if a computer is necessary equipment for you.) You are eligible for this aid once every five years.
Dental procedures – payment for dental procedures at designated clinics.

Additional Aid

Rehabilitative mentoring (Somchut) – intensive support and guidance in various areas of life.
Family consultation center – guidance for families of the mentally ill.

Process of Receiving Sal Shikum

Conditions of Eligibility

Every resident of Israel above the age of 18 who has been recognized with at least 40% medical disability on mental health grounds and is in continuous psychiatric care is eligible for Sal Shikum, except for those in active addiction to alcohol or drugs. Determination of medical disability percentages is done by Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute). Those who are not interested in being recognized by Bituach Leumi can file a claim for Sal Shikum through the personal rehabilitation route, this claim is filed by a psychiatrist certified to do so directly to the regional committee. Filing a claim through the personal route limits the option to file for disability with Bituach Leumi.
For further information read on Kol-Zchut website. It is recommended to read about receiving medical disability for gender dysphoria.

Submitting a Request for Sal Shikum

The process of submitting a request for Sal Shikum involves filling out paperwork and submitting it to the regional Sal Shikum committee. The list of committees is available on the Ministry of Health website.
Filing a request requires you to be in continuous professional care, such as regular meetings with a psychiatrist. Additionally, as part of the paperwork process, you will need the guidance of a mental health professional, such as a social worker at your HMO or community mental health clinics, with familiarity with your background. The parties who are filing the request must know you well and have the ability to face the regional committee. Community mental health professionals such as HMO workers and community mental health clinics have direct access to the system for submitting requests, which can help speed up the process.

The forms have three parts: psychiatric assessment, social assessment, and personal questionnaire. After filling out the forms, the request is sent to the regional committee. The forms can be sent by mail, physically handed in, or if the mental health professional working with you has access, directly to the Sal Shikum system. If submitted directly to the system, if you have familial support, family member(s) may be asked to fill out a form with their opinion.

If you do not have social assistance in the community who can submit the request for you and with you, it is possible to submit the request independently. In this case as well, psychiatric recommendation is necessary, the request cannot be submitted without it. As part of the independent request process without community social assistance, you can write a personal letter detailing your struggles and your need for Sal Shikum instead of the social assessment/recommendation. It is important to know that it is unknown how often this route is utilized in the Sal Shikum committees, however, official sources state that it is possible to go this route.

Sal Shikum Committee

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can submit a request for Sal Shikum. Afterward, you will go through the Sal Shikum committee. It is recommended to use professional assistance for the request process. The committee’s decision is sent with reasoning, and it is possible to appeal within 45 days. Eligibility is determined for a certain period, after which you will need to renew it. The renewal will usually be done by the responsible rehabilitation professionals.

The committee is professional-therapeutic. The goal of the committee is to determine with you together what services could assist you and are suited best to you. At the committee, there will usually be social workers, Sal Shikum coordinators, psychiatrists, paramedical professionals, and more.
It is possible and even recommended to bring accompaniment to the committee – whether a professional or family member/friend. The committee usually takes up to 60 minutes. The decision will generally be sent to the professional who submitted the request with you. If you submit the request independently, the decision will be sent by mail.

Service Providers

Once eligible, Sal Shikum services are provided through service providers. In certain fields, there is only one service provider, and in others, you can choose between several options. Some of the providers are:

A full list can be found on the Ministry of Health website. Certain providers have services designated for the Pride community:

Mevalimot Begaava – Yalla Mevalim program designated for the Pride community, available in Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Yadid Nefesh’s service accommodated to the LGBT community – most of the staff in this service is also from the community.
Protected housing for people on the trans spectrum by Slav – Slav Rehabilitation Services operates protected group housing designated for transgender people. The group homes are regular apartments in the Ramat Gan area, requiring payment of rent, bills, etc. Each home has a rehabilitation coordinator.

For further reading

Sal Shikum and integration of the mentally ill in the community

The Rehabilitation Basket

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