Employment Insurance

The Employment Insurance is also referred to as the EI program. It is designed with the difficulties faced by employees in mind. The best probable application of this program is the support and temporary income relief it extends to those who are temporarily unemployed. These people could either be in between jobs, dealing with sickness, child-birth or parenting or even providing critical care and support to a family member facing the risk of death. At such trying and difficult times, the EI program steps in as saving grace and empowers the employee to go through the phase more confidently.

Who Benefits from the Employment Insurance or EI Program?

It is essential to remember that you can apply for EI benefit only if you have paid into the account and are dealing with a temporary unemployment. In this case you stand to benefit if you can prove to the authorities that you lost your job through no fault of your own. Such a situation could arise due to shortage of work or even seasonal or sudden management declared 'breaks' or mass lay-offs. You can also benefit monetary assistance while dealing with a maternity or parental break in employment or if you are ill and unable to work. Interestingly, you are also liable to receive 'fishing benefits' if you are engaged in fishing. You can also claim compassionate care benefit, if you are dealing with an unavoidable break in employment to provide care or support to an ailing family member who is critically ill.

The Procedure

If you have an old EI program account that has lapsed, you need to first reactivate the account. If a claim is on record within the last 52 weeks, the reactivation should not be an issue, depending on the individual case and the analysis. In the case of reactivation, you need to submit an application for the same, online. This can be done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from any Internet access point. In order to be sure and find out if you can receive the program benefits, you have to kick-start a procedure. First, submit an application for the insurance -- online or personally -- at the nearest Employee Service Center.

The registration application is the most essential step, irrespective of whether or not you received or expect to receive money when unemployed or if you have misplaced or lost your Record of Employment. You should request for your record or ROE from your previous employer. However, even if the records covering prior employment are not traceable, you should still submit your claim for benefit, while attempting to get the records in order. There are special agents who take care of the whole procedure and even calculate your claim. You should ideally apply as soon as you stop working. Remember, a delay in filing claim for benefit beyond a month after the last working day could result in a loss of benefits.

The Documentation

You need to keep in place certain documents when you file for the EI program. These include your Social Insurance Number or SIN and the Record of Employment or ROE. In the case of the former, you may have to furnish proof of immigration status and work permit, if necessary. In the case of the latter, it has to be available from each job held over a period of at least 52 weeks. You will also have to produce personal identification proof such as your driver's license, birth certificate or passport and complete bank information from your check or bank statement. This ensures direct payment into your bank account.

In the case of a claim for sickness benefit, you are required to produce a medical certificate specifying the duration of your incapacity to work. You are also expected to maintain and produce proof of your total salary before deductions, including commissions and gross amounts received or still payable to you like allowances forwarded for vacation, severance, pension, etc.