Difference between revisions of "Types of Employment Insurance Benefits (8:IV)"

== B. Special Benefits ==

Special benefits are available in special circumstances where the claimant has not lost their employment. Under the ''EI Act'', self-employed Canadians and permanent residents – those who work for themselves – are able to apply for EI special benefits if they are registered for access to the EI program.  

A claimant requires 600 hours of insurable employment to qualify for special benefits.

There are six types of EI special benefits: maternity, parental, sickness, family caregiver benefit for children, family caregiver benefit for adults, and compassionate care (s. 12(3)). More than one type of special benefit can be claimed within one benefit period. Similarly, special and regular benefits claims can be combined. However, s. 12(6) sets out the maximum for such a combination.

If a claimant has not collected any regular benefits and is just combining different special benefits to which they are entitled, the maximum number of weeks the claimant can collect is the combined maximum for each of the special benefits they are collecting. To ensure they have time to collect all these combined weeks, their benefit period will also be extended to the combined maximum number of weeks of special benefits they can collect.

If the claimant has collected regular benefits but is also entitled to collect special benefits during their benefit period, then the claimant can combine weeks of benefits, but the maximum number of combined weeks cannot be higher than 50.

== C. Sickness Benefits ==