October 7 Victims Face Urgent Deadline to Claim Pension Disability Benefits
Three years after October 7, the strict deadline for victims to claim disability pensions from private funds is about to expire, highlighting a major information gap.
As the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 events approaches, a critical deadline is looming for victims of the tragedy: the three-year statute of limitations to claim disability pensions from pension funds is about to expire.
In the wake of the October 7 attacks and the Iron Swords War, individuals who suffered physical or psychological harm became eligible to file disability claims through their pension funds. If an individual's earning capacity was impaired by at least 25% to 30% for more than 90 consecutive days, they may qualify for a monthly disability pension of up to 75% of their insured salary.
However, the window for submitting claims is strictly limited to three years from the date of the insured event. For many victims of October 7, this means the opportunity to claim these rights will close in less than a month.
The Information Gap in Pension Insurance
"This is one of the most significant failures in the insurance and pension worlds—that policyholders are not always aware of their rights, especially the victims of October 7 who experienced an event where the entire country was in shock," says Dr. Alex Kaplun, an economist and gerontologist specializing in longevity economics at the College of Management Academic Studies. "At that moment of profound personal crisis, does a victim think, 'Wait, I can also sue the pension fund'? Naturally, there are policyholders who did not notice, did not file a claim, and are entitled to this allowance."
The issue recently surfaced on social media, where a user shared an experience of volunteering with an affected family from the south. After pointing out the possibility of disability insurance claims, the family successfully applied, leading others in their community to discover and utilize the same benefit.
billions in State Aid vs. Pension Rights
While many victims approached the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) following the attacks, claiming billions of shekels in total compensation and special grants such as the 599 million shekels distributed to nearly 80,000 eligible individuals, far fewer have applied to private pension funds.
Data from the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority indicates that over 800 relevant claims were filed by the end of 2025 citing war-related injuries. However, regulatory bodies note that most insurance companies did not proactively reach out to policyholders to prompt disability claims, relying instead on incoming requests.
The Golden Rule: File First
Experts stress that pension funds require coordination with state allowances to prevent double-dipping, meaning state-paid disability stipends are deducted from the pension fund payouts. Nevertheless, if a state claim is denied or yields a lower percentage below the threshold, the pension fund covers the full amount.
"My tip for all policyholders is simple: first of all, file a claim," Dr. Kaplun urges. "If you are not entitled, you will be told so, but you have insurance, so file first. Anyone injured on October 7 who has not yet submitted a claim to their pension fund should rush to do so today."
