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In January 2004, the federal government is launching the Compassionate
Care Benefit Program under the Employment Insurance Program. The Compassionate Care Benefit will include:
- The
new provisions will pay up to six weeks of special benefits to
claimants who provide care or support to a gravely ill family
member.
- Claimants
would have access to this new Employment Insurance (EI) special
benefit if they have 600 hours of insurable employment in their
qualifying period (the same rules as for existing EI special
benefits programs such as sickness, maternity and paternal).
- Family
members would be defined as a spouse or common-law partner, a
parent, a spouse or common-law partner of a parent, a child, or a
child of the spouse or common-law partner.
- The
new provision would require a waiting period, but when eligible
family members share the benefits the waiting period may be deferred
for all but one family member
- Claimants
would need to obtain a medical certificate from a doctor indicating
that the family member is gravely ill with a significant risk of
death in the next 26 weeks (six months) and that there is a need for
one or more family members to provide the ill family member with
care or support.
- The
government also made related amendments to the Canada Labour Code to
establish an entitlement to a period of leave of up to eight weeks
duration with job protection within a 26-week period, for the
purpose of providing compassionate care to a family member.
This means you cannot be fired from your employment for
asking for or taking up to eight weeks leave to provide
compassionate care for a family member.
Please
visit the Social
Development Canada Website
for more details.
You can also visit an Employment Insurance office in your
community.
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