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Compassionate Care Benefit

This January 4th, 2004 Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) will introduce the Employment Insurance (EI) Compassionate Care Benefit. This will enable eligible family members of patients in acute health crises (at high risk of dying in the next six months) to receive EI benefits while they take leave from work to provide support or care to their loved ones.

Doctors will play a crucial role in this new benefit. In order to qualify, applicants will require the signature of the patient's doctor on the Medical Certificate for Compassionate Care Benefits, attesting to the fact that the patient is at significant risk of death within 26 weeks.

HRDC would like to ensure that doctors are properly informed before they receive the request, to anticipate some of their questions and to save them some valuable time. To that end, HRDC has produced a short publication containing a sample Medical Certificate (see below). This document was also distributed with the November 2003 edition of the Canadian Medical Journal (CMAJ).

HRDC has also established an enquiries line for physicians:

English: 1-866-369-7747 French: 1-866-369-7746

Hours of operation: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Physicians are also invited to visit the website for the answers to frequently asked questions at:

English: www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/gateways/nav/left_nav/faq.shtml

French: www.rhdcc.gc.ca/fr/passerelles/nav/nav_gauche/faq.shtml

Sample Medical Certificate - 216 KB pdf

Public information is available at:

www.sdc.gc.ca/en/ei/types/compassionate_care.shtml