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

To qualify for sickness benefits, the claimant must be able to prove that he or she is unable to work due to illness, injury, or quarantine, which normally requires that the claimant obtain a medical certificate. The illness, injury, or quarantine must be that of the claimant personally, not a child or other family member.  

A minor attachment claimant may qualify for up to 15 weeks of sickness benefits if the injury, illness, or quarantine was not the reason for the claimant’s interruption of earnings. For example, if a claimant is laid-off due to shortage of work and begins collecting regular EI benefits, the claimant may be entitled to sickness benefits if they later fall ill, even if they qualified for regular benefits with less than 600 hours.  

If a minor attachment claimant loses his or her job because of the illness or injury, the claimant will be eligible for regular benefits once recovered and capable of accepting suitable employment, notwithstanding that he or she was ineligible for sickness benefits.  In some cases, a claimant who loses previous employment – due to injury for example – may not immediately qualify for regular benefits if he or she is capable of performing other jobs and is actively seeking such employment.