Compassionate Care Benefits are a kind of Employment Insurance (EI) benefit. If you have to take some time off your work to look after a family member who is sick, you can apply for this specific benefit. Sick specifically means that your family member who is sick has a risk of expiring in 26 weeks and has to be on the list of the qualifying members.
These benefits can be availed even if your sick family member resides outside of Canada. In such cases, you have to meet the same conditions which would have been applied if the sick person was residing in Canada. You will have to inform Service Canada in case you have to leave Canada to take care of the sick family member. You can call on 1-800-206-7218 or visit a Service Canada Centre.
Eligibility for Compassionate Care Benefits in Canada:
In order to be eligible for these benefits, you have to show that:
– You will be losing out on 40% or more of the weekly income;
– In the last 52 weeks or since the last claim made, you worked for 600 or more hours.
– the sick family member has a risk of expiring within 26 weeks. A medical certificate has to be submitted to prove this.
Amount of the Benefits of Compassionate Care- should you lose your Job in Canada:
– Generally, they are 55% of the average insured income.
– The benefits are taxable.
– in case you belong to a low-income family, you will be qualifying for more benefits.
Lost Job in Canada? How long can one receive compassionate care benefits for?
You can get these benefits for maximum of 26 weeks within a 52-week duration. These weeks can be shared with other family members who are eligible. You might be able to merge some benefits in order to extend the duration of collecting the benefits. There are a few restrictions regarding the start and end period.