Many civil servants work in the public sector in our country. Civil servants are recruited through the Public Personnel Selection Examination and according to conditions set by the state. The government provides numerous social rights and assistance to public employees. Housing and food assistance for civil servants is among these social benefits. These supports help create a more comfortable working environment for civil servants and contribute to improved productivity.
Before describing housing and food assistance, it is useful to summarize other social rights and benefits the state offers to its civil servants. The main social rights and assistance programs can be listed as follows:
- Pension rights: The state grants pension rights to civil servants in return for paid contributions. Rights for survivors in the event of a civil servant’s death are regulated by pension laws.
- Health and maternity insurance: Social insurance benefits required by law are provided to civil servants when applicable.
- Rehabilitation and reintegration: Some civil servants may be subject to measures that help them return to work when necessary.
- Additional social insurance and mutual assistance.
- Mortgages for civil servants.
- State-provided housing for civil servants.
- Housing allocation for certain civil servants.
- Deprivation place allowance.
- Scholarships and dormitories: Civil servants working in deprived or remote locations may be eligible for reduced boarding fees if they choose to send their children to boarding schools because local educational options are unsuitable.
- Family allowance: Married civil servants receive a family allowance.
- Childbirth allowance.
- Death allowance.
- Medical assistance.
- Funeral expense assistance.
- Food allowance.
- Clothing allowance.
- Heating fuel allowance.
These rights and benefits provided by the state are defined and regulated in the relevant laws and regulations.
As noted above, the state offers housing support to civil servants. This support can also take the form of housing loans. Civil servants who have at least ten years of service with the Turkish Republic Retirement Fund may, upon request, obtain housing loans from the Mass Housing Fund under special conditions. Eligibility rules and the procedures for collecting loan repayments from civil servants are specified in the regulation prepared by the Mass Housing and Public Partnership Administration.
In addition to housing loans, the state also provides direct housing assistance. Rent for housing needed by civil servants in designated locations is determined by the Settlement Ministry and is covered by the state. These expenses are funded from appropriations allocated annually to general and annexed budgets and paid from designated funds.
Thanks to housing assistance, civil servants who lack sufficient means and meet the required conditions can request support; when eligibility is met and during specified assignments, rent is paid by the state.
This year a change was made to the Regulation on Food Assistance for Civil Servants. The amendment enacted by the Council of Ministers states: “The costs required for food assistance shall be met by appropriations allocated to institutional budgets based on the number of positions covered by this Regulation, provided that the amounts do not exceed two-thirds of meal costs for Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir, and one-half of meal costs for other provinces.”
Like housing aid, the state also provides food assistance to civil servants. The conditions under which civil servants can receive food assistance, the forms of that assistance, and the rules for implementation are outlined in the regulation jointly prepared by the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Ministry’s State Personnel Department. How meal assistance is provided is important to civil servants: half of the expenses for meals provided by the state are covered from institutional budgets, while the portion of the meal cost not covered by the budget is paid by the civil servants themselves.