The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) submitted a bill to parliament expanding pension and social rights for official veterans and the families of martyrs.
“We are providing a minimum income guarantee for the parents of our martyrs and personnel disabled in the line of duty,” AKP Deputy Group Chair Abdulhamit Gül said.
The bill amends the Turkish Republic Retirement Fund Law, ensuring pensions for martyrs’ parents will not fall below the net minimum wage. Home care support for veterans requiring assistance will increase from two to two and a half times the net minimum wage.
Under Anti-Terror Law changes, pensions for duty-disabled privates, security guards, military cadets and civilians will rise. The legislation adapts the complex civil service ranking system to calculate these pensions based on education. Four-year university graduates will be placed at a higher baseline tier, while others start at a lower rank.
The specific index figures used to determine payouts will range from 2,100 to 3,600 depending on the individual’s assigned rank. The total pension cannot fall below a statutory baseline of 35,398 multiplied by the civil servant salary coefficient. The Social Security Institution (SGK) will collect overpayments from the Treasury.
The proposal introduces a monthly pension based on a 17,135 index figure for armed forces, gendarmerie, coast guard, intelligence and police, cadets and security guards wounded in counterterrorism operations but denied official veteran status. This covers penetrating wounds from bullets, shrapnel, explosives, blast and thermal effects and close-quarter combat injuries.
Applicants need a medical board report with at least one forensic expert confirming the injury’s severity and causal link. Eligible individuals will receive the “veteran” title and rights like free travel and discounted utility bills.
The application window for past incidents remains open for one year. The legislation grants the new pension to public servants and civilians injured during the July 15 coup attempt lacking a disability status.
Amendments to the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law cap the re-examination age for privates at 55. The regulations take effect on Sept. 1, 2026.
