As part of Budget 2022, the Federal Government is extending Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks.
Impact as of December 18, 2022
- Companies who have Short-Term Disability (STD) plans that integrate with the EI sickness benefit will need to align to the new 26-week benefit period.
- Companies without STD on their plan whose plan members claim EI benefits prior to Long-Term Disability (LTD), will need to align your LTD elimination period with the new 26 weeks.
- There will be no immediate impact on companies who qualify for the Premium Reduction Program (PRP).
- PRP eligibility won’t be subject to change at this time. This will likely occur closer to 2024/2025.
If you don’t make these changes, there’s a chance your plan members will receive EI and disability benefits at the same time. When this change is in effect, you may wish to advise plan members who receive EI sickness benefits to contact Service Canada to discuss potential impacts to their benefits.