On October 28, 2020 new FAQs were added in respect of the temporary EI measures. The new questions are:
What is the qualifying period for establishing an EI claim?
If I received the CERB, am I automatically qualified for EI?
How long do I have to have stopped working before I can qualify for EI?
Has anything changed in terms of ROEs and RFS?
If I am a parent who has to stay home and claims the Canada Recovery Benefit, will those weeks be deducted from my EI entitlement if I then apply for EI?
Full details:
What is the qualifying period for establishing an EI claim?
If you received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), the 52-week period to accumulate insured hours will be extended by up to 28 weeks for claims established after August 30, 2020.
Recognizing that the pandemic prevented many workers from accumulating the number of insurable hours that is normally required within the qualifying period, EI claimants will receive a one-time insurable hours credit of:
300 insurable hours for claims for regular benefits (job loss)
480 insurable hours for claims for special benefits (sickness, maternity/parental, compassionate care or family caregiver)
If I received the CERB, am I automatically qualified for EI?
Receiving the CERB does not mean that you are automatically qualified to receive EI benefits. Many temporary measures are in place to ease the transition from the CERB to EI but claimants are still required to meet qualifying and entitlement conditions for the type of benefit they are requesting including not leaving their jobs voluntarily.
If you applied for the CERB through Service Canada, the record of employment that was submitted when you first applied for the CERB will be used to support the transition to EI. However, you are encouraged to provide a record of employment (ROE) for any work performed over the duration of your qualifying period including during the period you were receiving the CERB. These ROEs will be used to determine if you have sufficient hours to qualify and to calculate your benefit rate and entitlement weeks. If you applied for the CERB through CRA, you will need to submit all ROEs when you make your application for EI benefits.
Reason for separation and availability issues, among others, may also be reviewed in determining eligibility for EI benefits. For instance, in most cases, you cannot voluntary quit your job, even when taking into account the pandemic.
How long do I have to have stopped working before I can qualify for EI?
There will still need to be seven consecutive calendar days with no work and no insurable earnings from an employer (interruption of earnings) to qualify for EI.
The waiting period has been waived for all EI claims established between September 27 and October 25, 2020.
In addition, the waiting period has been waived for new EI sickness claims established on or after September 27, 2020 for a period of one year to encourage compliance with public health measures.
Has anything changed in terms of ROEs and RFS?
As we transition from the CERB to EI, the existing rules requiring employers to prepare a Record of Employment (ROE) remain. In particular:
employers who use the paper record of employment (ROE) must have it issued within five days of an employee’s interruption of earnings;
and, employers who issue electronic ROEs must to do so within five days after the end of the pay period containing the employee's interruption of earnings.
The majority of ROEs are received in electronic format.
If I am a parent who has to stay home and claims the Canada Recovery Benefit, will those weeks be deducted from my EI entitlement if I then apply for EI?
The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) provides support for eligible workers who are unable to work because they must care for their child under 12 years old or a family member who needs supervised care in specific situations related to COVID-19. These caregiving situations are not covered by the EI program.
While you cannot receive the CRCB and EI benefits for the same week, the receipt of the CRCB does not affect your entitlement to EI benefits.
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