Israeli Border Police Officer Recognized as IDF Disabled Veteran After Accident Returning Soldiers to Base
A permanent Border Police officer involved in a traffic accident while driving a police vehicle back to base has been officially recognized as an IDF disabled veteran. The Haifa Appeals Committee under the Disabled Veterans (Benefits and Rehabilitation) Law ruled that the accident, which occurred in April 2023, took place during "operational activity" that only concluded once the vehicle was parked at the base. The 48-year-old officer, who served as a combat soldier, operational driver, and combat medic, lost control of the vehicle due to slippery road conditions and rainy weather, hitting a guardrail.
Initially, the Ministry of Defense's Compensation Officer rejected his claim to be recognized as disabled due to a service-related injury, prompting an appeal filed in May 2024. The officer argued that the injury happened during operational duties while transporting soldiers to the base, which is a unique military service activity rather than routine travel after a shift. Supporting this, the injury report made shortly after the accident classified the event as occurring during operational activity.
The Compensation Officer contended the accident did not occur during operational activity or any uniquely military service event, thus the injury should not be considered a "service injury" under the law. However, Judge Chava Klamperer-Mertzky, chair of the appeals committee, accepted the officer's position, emphasizing that operational activity ends only when the vehicle is parked at the base. She cited the unit commander's affidavit confirming the officer’s operational role began when leaving the main base and ended only upon return.
Alternatively, the judge ruled that even if not strictly operational activity, the event still qualifies as a "service injury" because transporting soldiers back to base is a unique military service event. Consequently, the officer's injury is recognized as service-related, entitling him to disabled veteran status. The Ministry of Defense was ordered to pay 7,000 shekels in legal costs. The full ruling is available through the Israeli legal website Paskdin, which collaborated on this report.
