The Knesset Welfare Committee passed a bill in its second and third readings towards giving additional sick days to parents of disabled children, a bill sponsored by MK Rabbi Uri Maklev. These parents will also receive sick pay from their employer for their first day out of work. In addition, their paid sick leave will be calculated hourly and not daily as is the norm as to include partial days of work that are lost.

The norm is that an employee is not paid for a first sick day but the law has been amended to accommodate these parents. The parents of disabled children will also receive three additional sick days annually each to take care of their child and if one parent has not exhausted the allotted number of days they can be transferred to the other parent. This means a couple will have six extra sick days annually between them to use as they see fit towards tending to the child.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)