In Turkey, short-term social insurance is a system that provides temporary financial support to individuals who are unable to work due to a variety of reasons, including illness, injury, maternity, and unemployment. The system is administered by the Social Security Institution (SSI), which is responsible for collecting contributions from employers and employees, and for providing benefits to eligible individuals.
There are several branches of short-term social insurance in Turkey, each with their own specific rules and regulations. These social insurance branches include:
- Sickness Benefits: This social insurance branch provides financial support to individuals who are unable to work due to a temporary illness or injury. To be eligible for sickness benefits, individuals must have been paying contributions to the SSI for a certain period of time, and must provide a medical certificate to confirm their inability to work. The benefit amount is calculated based on the individual’s average salary, and it is starting to be paid as to start from the third day of temporary incapacity.
- Maternity Benefits: This branch provides financial support to women who are unable to work due to pregnancy and childbirth. To be eligible for maternity benefits, women must have been paying contributions to the SSI for a certain period of time, and must provide a medical certificate to confirm their pregnancy. The benefit amount is calculated based on the woman’s average salary, and can be paid for up to 16 weeks (18 weeks in multiple pregrancy).
- Unemployment Benefits: This branch provides financial support to individuals who have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own. To be eligible for unemployment benefits, individuals must have been paying contributions to the SSI for a certain period of time, and must meet certain conditions, such as actively seeking employment. The benefit amount is calculated based on the individual’s average salary, and can be paid for up to 10 months. The system is governed by the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) seperately, despite the premiums are being collected by the SSI.
- Work Injury and Occupational Sickness Benefits: This branch provides financial support to individuals who have been injured at work or get sick due to work conditionss. To be eligible for work injury benefits, individuals must have been paying contributions to the SSI, and must provide a medical certificate to confirm their injury. The benefit amount is calculated based on the individual’s average salary, and can be paid for as long as the individual is unable to work.
The above mentioned benefits are being made from sickness, maternity and work accident and occupational diseases insurances.
Short-term social insurance in Turkey plays an important role in providing temporary financial support to individuals who are unable to work due to a variety of reasons. The system is relatively comprehensive, and provides benefits for a wide range of situations. However, there are also challenges with the system, such as lack of resources and administrative challenges, which can make it difficult for individuals to access benefits.
In addition to this, the system also faces some challenges such as the lack of coverage for some sections of the society such as the informal sector workers, agricultural employees and self-employed individuals, and the low amount of the benefits paid to the beneficiaries which may not be enough to cover the daily expenses.
Overall, sickness, maternity and work accident and occupational diseases insurances are the short-term social insurance branches applied in Turkey. The short-term social insurance system in Turkey provides important financial support to individuals who are unable to work, but there is room for improvement in terms of better coverage, and more efficient and effective administration of the system.
