Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits are an important measure for supporting workers who are in the difficult circumstance of having to temporarily leave their job due to illness, injury or quarantine. These benefits are available to qualifying claimants who are unable to work, and allow them time needed to restore their health before they can return to work.
Claimants also need to get a medical certificate signed by a medical practitioner when they apply for sickness benefits. The medical practitioner must practise in Canada or the United States and the illness they’re treating must be in their field. The following medical practitioners can complete and sign the claimant’s medical certificate:
Earlier this year, the Government concluded a two-year consultation on modernizing the EI program which covered the Premium Reduction Program. Input from these consultations, and lessons learned from the pandemic will inform the development of the Government’s plan on EI modernization.
As of August 12, 2018, the EI Working While on Claim (WWC) rules were extended to EI sickness and EI maternity benefits, including for eligible self-employed persons in order to improve the sickness benefit. This enables greater flexibility for EI sickness and maternity benefits claimants so they can keep more of the EI benefits if they choose to gradually return to work.
Also, EI claimants in receipt of parental benefits, compassionate care benefits and their EI Family Caregiver benefit can switch to the sickness benefit if they become ill, injured or quarantined while on claim. They may be able resume collecting the balance of the other benefits thereafter, if they meet the requirements.