Everything you need to know about the ways we handle your complaint, the possible outcomes of the investigation of the complaint and the assistance you can receive
The first stage: Registration, sorting and routing of the complaints
We receive the complaints, register them and sort them via the "Rimon" complaints intake department at the Office. If the complaint is about a body that is not within our remit, or it is not possible to investigate the complaint for any other reason, we will notify you in writing, and, where possible, inform you to whom you may apply.
The second stage: Opening a complaint file
After the complaint has been filed, a complaint file is opened and confirmation of its receipt is sent to you.
The third stage: Investigation of the complaint
In most cases, we start our investigation by contacting the public body you complained about. We can demand any person or body to reply to questions and deliver relevant documents, and in certain cases we can also initiate a mediation process if the parties agree to this.
We customize the investigation procedure to the unique and cultural characteristics of each complainant:
- In simple terms, so that you do not need any legal knowledge.
- In any language and at any level of digital literacy.
- And in a way that is also customized to persons with disabilities
As part of the complaint investigation process, the Ombudsman Office uses artificial intelligence. The use of artificial intelligence is carried out in accordance with the applicable legal requirements in the field of privacy protection, as well as the mandatory information security standards and the confidentiality provisions of the State Comptroller Law, 5718–1958. Personal information is not used to train external models and is not transferred to third parties without legal authorization.
Artificial intelligence serves solely as an auxiliary tool that assists staff in examining complaints in the best possible manner. Every decision regarding the complaint is made by an employee of the Ombudsman Office, who is authorized by law to handle the complaint, after exercising discretion and examining the relevant facts and the applicable legal provisions.
The final stage: The results of the investigation
- If your complaint is found to be justified and a defect requiring rectification is disclosed, we will instruct the public body how to rectify the defect and update you on this.
- If the complaint is found to be unjustified, we will send you and the public body you complained about notification thereof and explain to you why the complaint is unjustified.
- In the event that the subject of the complaint is rectified during the investigation process, we will halt the investigation and of course notify you accordingly.
Challenges and Objectives in the Provision of Services for Older Persons
Tracking the Status of a Complaint in the Government Personal Area
The Ombudsman Office provides complainants with a personal area that enables them to conveniently track the status of the handling of their complaint at any time. The personal area operates as part of the national government identification website (GOV.IL). The connection between the Ombudsman Office's information systems at the Office of the State Comptroller and the Israel National Digital Agency is secure, and the information is displayed to the complainant but is not stored in the information systems of the National Digital Agency.
There is no legal obligation to provide the information. However, choosing not to provide information may make it impossible to investigate the complaint.
The complaint is justified? This is how we can help you:
If it transpires that your complaint is justified, we have the authority to point out the defect and the method of rectifying it. We can instruct the public body you complained about to stop harming you, to assist you in exercising your rights, to repay any money that it has collected from you unlawfully or send you a letter of apology. In exceptional cases, you may also receive financial compensation.
Furthermore, we instruct the public body to lay down or change procedures in order to avoid a recurrence of similar cases in the future.
