Military Service Adjustment Committee – VHL
Deserter? Looking for a military attorney with experience and successes in the field?! Don't compromise and get the best! Attorney Limor Bramley has extensive experience representing deserters and evasive action, after many years as the head of the deserter field at the Military Attorney's Office and as a military defense attorney representing many soldiers in desertion and evasion cases against the army.
All of the attorneys in the firm are military law officers who previously served as senior prosecutors in the Military Attorney's Office, investigative officers, and base commanders in the Military Police, and represent many soldiers before military courts across the country and before suitability committees for service as military defense attorneys.
What is the "Service Suitability Committee" – and the "HAL"? Is it possible to receive an exemption from military service?
A Military Service Suitability Committee, or VHL for short, is a special committee in the army that meets and discusses the continuation of a soldier's military service and his suitability for continued military service. A Military Service Suitability Committee (VHL) discusses the personal circumstances of each soldier, examining whether he can continue to serve in the army, or whether he should be granted an exemption from military service.
Does a service suitability committee meet with the soldier's commanders?
The Service Suitability Committee is a professional committee belonging to the IDF Human Resources Directorate (HRD). The committee is composed of a number of members and is headed by a chairman who is an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
How is the discussion conducted in the Service Adaptation Committee (SAC)?
During the hearing before the committee members, the committee members will hear the soldier and his commanders. At the conclusion of the hearing before the adjustment committee, the committee members will make a decision regarding the soldier's continued military service. If the soldier is detained, the committee will meet within the prison walls. The soldier may request that a military lawyer on his behalf add to his statements and present legal arguments as to why it is appropriate to keep the soldier in the army or to exempt him from military service.
Is the soldier allowed to be represented by a lawyer at the Service Adjustment Committee?
Every soldier, whether in desertion or evasion cases, may be represented by a lawyer before the committee. The role of the military lawyer is to present the soldier's arguments as to why it is appropriate to exempt him from service / keep him in service (depending on the circumstances) in a legally correct and convincing manner, based on knowledge and experience in the field, in accordance with the decisions and precedents of the committee in similar cases that have been presented to it in the past. The advantage of representation by an experienced lawyer in the field is his familiarity with the military system, the various considerations that are before the members of the Service Suitability Committee and the provision of security to the soldier who appears before the committee, whose recommendations are critical to the soldier's continued service.
What types of decisions can a service suitability committee make?
The Service Suitability Committee is a professional advisory committee, so its decisions are in the form of recommendations (which are usually accepted), and it can recommend to the MITB commander one of the following options:
A. Continued service in the unit – the soldier will return to his unit and continue full military service.
B. Change of assignment – the soldier will continue to serve in the army, but his assignment will be changed and he will be stationed in a different unit.
C. Exemption from military service – The soldier will be discharged from military service on the grounds of serious bad behavior or on the grounds of unsuitability for military service.
Can a service suitability committee be appealed?
A service suitability committee is a professional advisory committee, whose decisions are recommendations that are forwarded to the IDF commander for review, who is the decision-maker regarding the soldier's continued military service. Therefore, in cases where a service suitability committee decision has been made that is unacceptable to the soldier, it is recommended to contact an expert military lawyer , who will examine whether, in the specific case, it is possible and advisable to appeal the committee's decisions.
