State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman issued a warning about a phenomenon in recent weeks in which lawyers are going to hospital rooms where wounded service members are hospitalized and urging them to sign an on-the-spot representation agreement to obtain rights from the Department of Defense.
According to Engelman, the wounded are often persuaded to sign an agreement without checking whether such representation is really necessary.
The Department of Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Defense emphasizes that wounded military personnel are in any case provided with all services free of charge during their hospitalization and during the first four months of rehabilitation after hospitalization. And only after this, some of them may require representation when undergoing medical commissions.
It should be noted that the law provides for a strict limitation on the fee that a lawyer can receive for representing the interests of a patient during a medical examination at the National Insurance Institute. However, there is no such restriction for those undergoing a medical examination at the Ministry of Defense.
The Bar Association said it would take action against lawyers who proactively approach wounded service members with offers of their services, especially if done in a hospital.