EI benefits for Parents of Critically Ill Children - After you've applied

6. After you've applied

Once you apply for the PCIC benefit, you must submit a medical certificate completed and signed by a specialist medical doctor who is licensed to practice medicine in Canada as a specialist, attesting that your child is critically ill or injured and requires your care or support. You must also submit your Record of Employment (ROE) for the last 52 weeks if your employer does not submit these online.

Specialist medical doctors are not authorized to release medical information about a third party without prior consent. Therefore, you must complete and sign an Authorization to Release a Medical Certificate form to authorize the release of the information and submit it with the medical certificate.

Missing ROEs can delay the processing of your claim.

• If your employer issues ROEs in paper format, you must request copies of all ROEs issued to you during the last 52 weeks and provide them to Service Canada as soon as possible after you submit your EI application. Paper ROEs are generally filled out by hand and have serial numbers that start with A, E, K, L or Z. You must either mail us the original copies of your paper ROEs or drop them off in person at a Service Canada Centre. The mailing address will be provided to you on the Information and Confirmation page once you submit your online application for EI benefits.
• If your employer submits ROEs electronically to Service Canada, they are not required to print you a copy; however, they may give you one as a courtesy. If this is the case, the serial number of your ROE will start with W or S. Electronic ROEs are directly sent to Service Canada, therefore, you do not need to request copies of your ROEs from your employer, and you do not have to provide copies to Service Canada. You can view copies of your electronic ROEs by visiting My Service Canada Account.

These documents can be submitted by mail at the address provided on the confirmation page when you complete your online application for benefits or in person at a Service Canada Centre near you. Please note that no benefits can be paid until we have received and processed your Record of Employment and medical certificate.

You are entitled to receive Employment Insurance (EI) special benefits for Parents of Critically Ill Children (PCIC) for the period your child requires care or support as indicated on the medical certificate issued by the specialist medical doctor.

Shortly after you file your EI application for PCIC benefits, we will mail you an EI benefit statement, which will provide you with an access code. Your access code is a four-digit number printed in the shaded area of your statement. You will need it, along with your Social Insurance Number (SIN), when you make telephone enquiries about your claim.

The access code identifies you and ensures that your privacy is protected. Do not let others have it, because they could get information or take action on your claim without your knowledge. You would be held responsible for this. Keep your access code in a safe place and, for extra security, keep it stored separately from your SIN.

Keep in mind that receiving the EI benefit statement does not mean that we have made a decision about your claim.

If you disagree with the decision regarding your application for EI benefits, you have the right to request a consideration.

Extending EI special benefits

If the initial period set out on the medical certificate was underestimated, the specialist medical doctor can issue a second medical certificate to extend the length of time for which the child requires your care or support, up to a total of 35 weeks.

If you established your claim for EI benefits for the purpose of collecting PCIC benefits, you will not have to re-qualify, other than to obtain the medical certificate.

Example of extension within the 52-week window

A medical certificate is issued when your child sustains a life threatening injury and the doctor estimates that your child would recover in ten weeks. However, there are unforeseen complications.

Upon re-assessment of your child, the doctor estimates that your child requires a further four weeks of your care or support in order to recover. You could get a medical certificate to that effect and receive additional benefits even if your child’s condition was no longer life-threatening after the ten week mark.

Applying for an extension of benefits after the 52-week window has expired

If you wish to apply for further PCIC benefits after the 52-week window expires , you must meet all qualifying conditions and eligibility requirements. This includes providing a medical certificate stating that your child is critically ill, with a life-threatening illness or injury (and not just in recovery).

Your responsibilities while receiving this benefit

While receiving the PCIC benefit, you must continue to meet the eligibility criteria. You must also agree to promptly notify Service Canada when any of the following occurs:

• you return to work
• your child is no longer critically ill, injured or passes away

If you do not notify Service Canada of these changes when they occur, this may result in an overpayment.

If more than one child is critically ill or injured

If more than one child is critically ill or injured as a result of the same event, only one 52-week window may be established and a maximum of 35 weeks of benefits can be paid during that window.

If more than one child is critically ill or injured as a result of unrelated events, separate 52-week windows may be established for each child. However, the maximum number of weeks of PCIC benefits that can be paid is 35 per child during each 52-week window. You cannot receive benefits for two separate children, at the same time.

This means that two parents could each establish a benefit period for one child each and each parent can receive up to 35 weeks of benefits.

Combining PCIC and compassionate care benefits

Compassionate care benefits cannot be paid for the same child at the same time as a PCIC window is in effect, however, if you are eligible for compassionate care benefits, you may be able to receive the benefit after the 52-week window has closed.

My critically ill or injured child resides outside Canada

You may still be eligible to receive the PCIC benefit if you must leave Canada to provide care or support for your critically ill or injured child. In this situation, you must submit a medical certificate completed by a specialist medical doctor with the same type of proof that is required for a critically ill or injured child residing in Canada.

Information for medical doctors

As a medical doctor who is licensed to practice medicine in Canada as a specialist, you will need to attest that your patient is critically ill or injured (life threatening) and requires the care or support of their parents. You must also indicate the period during which the child is expected to require care or support.

It is possible that the child may require longer parental care or support than what was estimated in the first medical certificate. In this case, you may issue a second medical certificate to extend the length of the period during which the child requires parental care or support.