The SGK offices are Turkey's equivalent to social security. When you are sick and cannot not come into work, Turkish labor laws require a doctor's note. Even for one day. If I were to not get a doctor's note, the day's wages would be deducted from my salary. If you are sick for more than five days, the SGK offices pay your wages in full, a form of worker's compensation.
Once my maternity leave finished, Tolga had to bring my many papers to the SGK offices to show where I worked, my wages, and various reports from the hospital showing I worked up until the 37th week, when I had the baby, and so forth. The papers were stamped by officials, and the salary compensation was approved.
Two weeks after the approval, I collected my money with my ID card from the post office, carried it straight to the bank and deposited in my school's bank account. I'm not sure why we had to go to so much trouble, but my work still paid my salary while I was on maternity leave - so essentially, I had to pay them back with one exception: I got to keep 89 turkish lire referred to as süt parasi, or "milk money".
I have no idea what 89 TL milk money is supposed to buy me . . .
At the same time, I had to file another claim for my shoulder injury. I had gone to a private hospital emergency room, but claims from the SGK offices must be approved by SGK hospitals - that is, government hospitals. Tolga had to bring the report to a government hospital for approval and signatures before filing the second claim.
Government hospitals are required for government claims to avoid corruption. This is because as frequently as we are required to go to the hospital here and get reports, it is easy to get a report from your private hospital excusing you from work. In my case, alls I had to do was ask. So, upon returning to Ankara and getting an MRI, we asked my doctor for an extension on my medical leave, and he added fifteen more days.
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