Extension of Eligibility Period for Employment Insurance Parental Benefits for Military Families

What Employment Insurance (EI) benefits are currently available to me as a Canadian Forces member?
What are EI parental benefits?
How many weeks of EI parental benefits can I receive?
What is the regular eligibility period for EI parental benefits?
How does the new measure for Canadian Forces members affect the regular eligibility period for EI parental benefits?
Can I benefit from the 104-week extended eligibility period for EI parental benefits?
When did this measure become effective?
Can I have my eligibility period extended if my EI parental leave started before July 4, 2010, and was deferred or interrupted because of an imperative military requirement?
Are there any conditions I have to meet to take advantage of the extended eligibility period for EI parental benefits?
How do I request an extension of the eligibility period for EI parental benefits?
What information do I have to provide?
Will I have to serve a waiting period to receive EI parental benefits?
Does this measure affect Canadian Forces members or reservists living in Quebec?

1. What Employment Insurance (EI) benefits are currently available to me as a Canadian Forces member?

As a Canadian Forces member (regular or reservist), you can receive the same benefits as other Canadians under the Employment Insurance Act as long as you meet the eligibility criteria. You are entitled to claim EI regular benefits, as well as EI maternity, parental, sickness, and compassionate care benefits.

2. What are EI parental benefits?

EI parental benefits are available to biological or adoptive parents while they are caring for a newborn or a newly adopted child. They can either be paid to one parent or shared between two parents.

3. How many weeks of EI parental benefits can I receive?

You can receive a maximum of 35 weeks of EI parental benefits.

4. What is the regular eligibility period for EI parental benefits?

The regular eligibility period during which you can claim EI parental benefits starts during the week of birth for a newborn or the week a child is placed with you for adoption and continues for the following 52 weeks. You can claim up to 35 weeks of EI parental benefits anytime within this eligibility period.

5. How does the new measure for Canadian Forces members affect the regular eligibility period for EI parental benefits?

To provide more flexibility for Canadian Forces members, the new measure extends the EI parental benefit eligibility period, up to a maximum of 104 weeks.

This extension is available to Canadian Forces members who cannot collect all their parental benefits during the regular eligibility period because of an imperative military requirement, as confirmed by the Department of National Defence form “PATA Extension – Imperative Military Requirement”. The imperative military requirement can either defer or interrupt their parental leave.

6. Can I benefit from the 104-week extended eligibility period for EI parental benefits?

If you are a Canadian Forces member who cannot collect all your parental benefits during the regular eligibility period for EI parental benefits because an imperative military requirement has either interrupted or deferred your parental leave, you are entitled to an extended eligibility period as long as you meet the eligibility criteria.

If you are entitled to the extension, your eligibility period will be extended by one week for every week that you are unable to collect EI parental benefits because of an imperative military requirement.

Examples

Paul, a Canadian Forces member, is entitled to 35 weeks of EI parental benefits after the birth of his daughter. After 15 weeks of parental leave, however, Paul is recalled to duty because of an imperative military requirement, which lasts 20 weeks. If he had not been recalled to duty, he would have been entitled to receive EI parental benefits for those 20 weeks. For this reason, under the new measure, Paul's eligibility period for EI parental benefits can be extended by the full 20 weeks after he returns from the imperative military requirement.
Kyana is a Canadian Forces member who adopted a child on September 8, 2010. She requested 37 weeks of parental leave from the Department of National Defence, starting on December 6, 2010. However, on November 8, 2010, she had to leave for a mission on an imperative military requirement. As a result, she could not start her parental leave as planned. Her leave was deferred until the date that she returned, which was March 25, 2011. If Kyana's parental leave had not been deferred, she would have been entitled to EI parental benefits for those 16 weeks. For this reason, Kyana's eligibility period for EI parental benefits can be extended by the full 16 weeks after she returns from the imperative military requirement.

7. When did this measure become effective?

This measure became effective on July 4, 2010.

8. Can I have my eligibility period extended if my EI parental leave started before July 4, 2010, and was deferred or interrupted because of an imperative military requirement?

You may be eligible for an extended eligibility period if you had a claim for EI parental benefits that started on or after July 13, 2008, and you were unable to collect all your EI parental benefits because of an imperative military requirement that either deferred or interrupted your parental leave. If this is your situation, please call the EI Telephone Information Service at 1-800-206-7218 for more information.

9. Are there any other conditions I have to meet to take advantage of the extended eligibility period for EI parental benefits?

Yes. As a Canadian Forces member, you have to:

formally request your EI parental leave from the Department of National Defence before you leave for the imperative military requirement; or
provide the dates you intended to take your EI parental leave, if you are already on the imperative military requirement.

10. How do I request an extension of the eligibility period for EI parental benefits?

To request an extension, you will have to either apply for EI parental benefits or reopen a previous EI claim and provide the required information.

11. What information do I have to provide?

When an imperative military requirement either defers or interrupts your EI parental leave, the Department of National Defence will complete a form called “PATA Extension – Imperative Military Requirement” and will give you a copy of the completed form. After you apply for EI parental benefits, you must then contact Service Canada at 1‑800‑206‑7218 to provide the information contained in the completed form.

12. Will I have to serve a waiting period to receive EI parental benefits?

Yes. There is a two-week waiting period that you must serve before you can start receiving EI parental benefits. When both parents share the parental benefits, only one waiting period needs to be served. However, when your EI claim is interrupted because of an imperative military requirement and you then reopen the claim when the imperative military requirement is over, you do not have to serve another two-week waiting period.

13. Does this measure affect Canadian Forces members or reservists living in Quebec?

Canadian Forces member residing in Quebec will continue to collect parental benefits from the existing Quebec Parental Insurance Plan. For more information on the parental eligibility period, please contact the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan.