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EI Compassionate Care Benefits Expanded To Allow More People Access |
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Written by Staff
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Friday, 16 June 2006 |
Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, announced on Thursday regulatory changes to Employment Insurance (EI) Compassionate Care that will allow more people to access EI benefits while providing care and support to a loved one. The changes are expected to take effect immediately.
The Compassionate Care Benefit allows Employment Insurance (EI) eligible workers to take a temporary absence from work to provide care or support to a loved one who is at significant risk of death within 26 weeks, without suffering sudden income or job loss. Before yesterday's changes, the benefits were eligible to those caring for parents, children, spouses, Common-law partners and same-sex couples.
As a result of the regulatory changes, those who provide care to a brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, foster parent, ward, guardian, or a gravely ill person who considers the claimant to be like a family member, are able to claim the benefit.
Eligible claimants for compassionate care benefits can receive up to six weeks of benefits in order to provide care to a loved one who is at significant risk of death within 26 weeks.
Eligibility requirements for the Compassionate Care Benefit are the same as for EI sickness, maternity and parental benefits:
-six hundred (600) hours of insurable employment in the qualifying period, the 52 weeks prior to the start of the claim or, if a self-employed fisher, $3,760 in fishing income; and
-an interruption of earnings or a reduction of more than 40 percent in normal weekly earnings.
A Compassionate Care medical certificate is required. As with other EI benefits, there is a two-week waiting period for the Compassionate Care Benefit; however, when these benefits are shared by eligible claimants, only one waiting period needs to be served. |
