Employment Insurance - Caregiving Benefits

Provides Caregiving Benefits through Employment Insurance. Eligible caregivers could receive financial assistance of up to 55% of their earnings, to a maximum of $638 a week. These benefits will help them take time away from work to provide care or support to a critically ill or injured person or someone needing end-of-life care.

Caregivers do not have to be related to or live with the person they are caring for but they must consider you to be like family. There are three types of caregiving benefits:

• Family Caregiver Benefit for Children: Providing care to a critically ill or injured person under 18 years (maximum weeks payable up to 35 weeks)
• Family Caregiver Benefit for Adults: Providing care to a critically ill or injured person 18 years or older(maximum weeks payable up to 15 weeks)
• Compassionate Care Benefits: A person of any age who requires end-of-life care (maximum weeks payable up to 26 weeks)

Eligible caregivers can receive benefits during the 52 weeks following the date the person is certified by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner to be critically ill or injured or in need of end-of-life care. Eligible caregivers can take the weeks of benefits within this timeframe either all at once or in separate periods.

The weeks of benefits can be shared by eligible caregivers, either at the same time or one after another.