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Thread: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

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    Default Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    So I have been working with the federal government and specifically EI for the last 3 years, at first helping clients on the phones, helping processing and calculating claims, and recently in a supervisor role. Normally we get about 5,000 applications a day. Last week we got around 700,000. So, we are crazy busy and many people find themselves in a position of needing EI, that they wouldn’t normally be in if not for Covid-19 due to lay offs or self isolation or child care issues or actual illness.

    Most EI policies and regulations are fairly simple to understand on their own, however there is a ton of information to sift through and also a ton of misinformation out there.

    Calling the 1-800-206-7218 number usually means a 30 minute wait to speak to an agent; on Friday we had literally thousands of people in the queue waiting for over 6 hours. So, right now it’s tough to get ahold of us, and I doubt it will get easier any time soon.

    So, I thought I would put this out there. If anybody is finding themselves in a position where they need EI or they may need EI shortly and they are unsure of what to do, please feel free to post here and I will do my best to get good information to you so that you can get what you are entitled to as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Awesome man, my gf and I are both self employed, she's a small business owner (closed her shop last week), and I'm a home-based freelancer (most of my projects have been cancelled). From what I understand applications for non-EI eligible people aren't kicking in until April, you have any insight there? Bit hard to track down info, looked through our cra online accounts, but doesn't seem to be any concrete information yet.
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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Quote Originally Posted by GavinC View Post
    Awesome man, my gf and I are both self employed, she's a small business owner (closed her shop last week), and I'm a home-based freelancer (most of my projects have been cancelled). From what I understand applications for non-EI eligible people aren't kicking in until April, you have any insight there? Bit hard to track down info, looked through our cra online accounts, but doesn't seem to be any concrete information yet.
    Hey man, ya that is something they are establishing which never existed before, so this is a little abnormal. Applications for this benefit will start in April. The information is pretty limited right now, but this is the latest info I see on it.

    Introducing the Emergency Care Benefit by providing up to $900 bi-weekly, for up to 15 weeks. This benefit will provide income support to:
    Workers, including the self-employed, who are quarantined or sick with COVID-19 but do not qualify for EI sickness benefits.
    Workers, including the self-employed, who are taking care of a family member who is sick with COVID-19, such as an elderly parent.
    Parents with children who require care or supervision due to school closures, and are unable to earn employment income.
    Application for the Emergency Care Benefit will be available in April 2020, and will require Canadians to attest that they meet the eligibility requirements. They will need to re-attest every two weeks to reconfirm their eligibility. To apply for the Benefit, Canadians can access it on their CRA MyAccount secure portal.
    Keep in mind this info is being fleshed out as we got more info. I can keep you posted as we see new information.

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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Yeah, wait and see is the deal right now. Thanks man! I'll keep an eye on this thread.
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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    I don't have any questions at this stage (I have been unemployed by choice for over two years) and have never collected EI.

    I have a couple family members that may apply soon and wanted to thank you Rylant for putting this out there. Generous of you to offer your expert advise and time when alot of people may need it.

    I will follow it out of curiousity and if questions come up in conversation with family members I may post them.
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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    I don't have any EI questions, just wanted to give you a shout out for doing this Rylant! Rep to you!!!!

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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Awesome offer Rylant! You are setting a fantastic example for all of us. Rep coming your way for sure
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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    If I refuse to go to work because I consider the steps they are taking to combat COVID-19 are inadequate, can I collect EI while employed, but not getting paid by my work?

    I'm just curious on this because of the unique situation we're all in. I would assume typically this is not a thing.
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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Quote Originally Posted by 2014olympicgold View Post
    If I refuse to go to work because I consider the steps they are taking to combat COVID-19 are inadequate, can I collect EI while employed, but not getting paid by my work?

    I'm just curious on this because of the unique situation we're all in. I would assume typically this is not a thing.
    Hey bud. This one is a little trickier. In many things EI, it's a black and white answer. For instance, let's say for argument sake, due to the regional rate of unemployment in your area, they determine that you need 700 hours of insured employment in the previous year to qualify for regular benefits. This is a black and white answer. If you had 698 hours, you would not qualify (I have seen this before, more than once); if you had 701, you would qualify. Sometimes with EI, there is a little bit of grey area.

    To collect regular benefits, once it is determined that you have enough hours to qualify, they also examine 2 other particularly relevant pieces of information in order to be eligible. First, they look at your availability for work. The availability question used to be "are you currently available for, and seeking full time employment?"; you would have to answer "yes" to qualify. Since the pandemic, they have altered that question to be "If it wasn't for the Covid-19 threat, would you be available for and seeking full time employment?" In this case, you could answer "Yes" because you would be available for work if not for Covid-19.

    The second relevant piece of information, is why did you leave your employment? Typically, they want to ensure that somebody lost their job through no fault of their own, in order to collect Regular EI Benefits. So, if you quit your job to sit on your couch to collect EI, good chance they would rule against you. If you were caught stealing money out of a cash register and they fired you, there is a good chance they would rule against you. So if you are laid off or if your company closes or your company restructures and eliminates your position, this is not your fault and you would qualify. Any time anybody quits or is dismissed, EI conducts a review to ensure that your actions are considered "reasonable". A lot of people think that if you quit or are fired, then you cannot collect EI which is not correct. However, if you do quit or get fired, an EI Tier 3 agent has to review your claim to determine if they consider it to be allowable.

    In this case, it is highly likely that the employer is going to say the reason you don't work for them any longer is because you "quit". If that happens, the EI Tier 3 agent will conduct a review. They will ask you "why did you quit your job?" and they will ask your employer "Why did this employee quit?". This gives you the opportunity to give your story. Keep in mind that if your information and your employer's information is drastically different, unless there is concrete proof that the employer's version of the story is accurate (This would include multiple corroborating witnesses or video or something of the like), the direction is that the Tier 3 agent consider the information provided by you, the client, to be the accurate information. Also, consider that in my line of work, a refusal to work due to unsafe conditions is something that my employer AND my union takes pretty seriously. A review would be conducted by both the employer and the union to determine how valid those concerns are. IF there is a process like this where you work, the Tier 3 agent would take that information into consideration as well. The Tier 3 agent will review the information, and based on precedent and legislation, they will make a determination as to whether or not your "quit" is considered "reasonable". If the quit is allowed, you will qualify for this portion of the criteria. If the quit is not allowed, you are able to appeal the decision to an independent arbitrator in a process known as a "Request for Reconsideration". I have seen people appeal decisions before and have the appeal overturn the decision in the client's favour.

    Once all of this is conducted, as long as you meet all of the qualifying criteria for Regular Benefits which includes number of insured hours, availability and reason for separation, then you would be able to collect EI. I know that it's not the black and white answer that you may have been looking for.

    My advise to EVERYONE who is looking to qualify for EI, is to apply and be as thorough and as honest as possible in the application process. The worst thing that is going to happen, is you won't qualify. I know many people who THOUGHT that they wouldn't qualify for EI and so they just didn't apply, even though they may very well have qualified.

    Hope this helps.

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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pit Bulls View Post
    I don't have any EI questions, just wanted to give you a shout out for doing this Rylant! Rep to you!!!!
    ^ awesome job Rylant. Way to step up. Cheers
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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Rylant

    That's such a good step by step explanation of the process. Puts me at ease that there's a resource here that can help out. And now I know the steps.

    100/10 answer right there. Thank you.
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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Excellent use of the forum. Thank you.


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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Rylant! You are the hero I need right now.

    My job was just disappeared and I received my ROE this morning. I have been working for a small company for the last 11 years that has seen it's business dry up to almost zero in the last week. The idea behind my layoff so quickly is that I can try to keep a level of cash flow to support my family (wife and three kids under 9).

    So now what do I do? This EI world is all new to me. What exactly should I be applying for? What should she be applying for?

    - I worked fulltime for a business for the last 11 years.
    - My wife is a stay-at-home Mom and we have three kids (3,6,9).

    Should I be trying to do this online? Over the phone? In-person?

    You help is appreciated. You have no idea! Thanks

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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Quote Originally Posted by Moses View Post
    Rylant! You are the hero I need right now.

    My job was just disappeared and I received my ROE this morning. I have been working for a small company for the last 11 years that has seen it's business dry up to almost zero in the last week. The idea behind my layoff so quickly is that I can try to keep a level of cash flow to support my family (wife and three kids under 9).

    So now what do I do? This EI world is all new to me. What exactly should I be applying for? What should she be applying for?

    - I worked fulltime for a business for the last 11 years.
    - My wife is a stay-at-home Mom and we have three kids (3,6,9).

    Should I be trying to do this online? Over the phone? In-person?

    You help is appreciated. You have no idea! Thanks

    Moses
    Hey Man, so sorry about your job. I am afraid we are going to see a lot of that in the next little while.

    For you, this is what I recommend. Today, as soon as possible, go to canada.ca . Once you are on the home page, in the middle of the page you will see an "Employment Insurance and Leave" link. Click on that. Once you are on the Employment Insurance page, you will see all of the different types of EI that you could apply for. Click on the "Regular Benefits" link and it will take you to the Regular Benefits page. There is a lot of good information on this page, but the important link here is 5. Apply. Click on that and read the fine print, and then click on the "Ready to start" blue box link. From there, scroll down to the very bottom and click on the "Start Application" link. You will go through the application process where they will ask you all sorts of information, such as your personal info and your employment history. I assume that on the ROE, they listed the reason for separation as "A - Shortage of Work"? If that's the case, it's non-contentious and provided you have enough hours in the qualifying period (Usually a year before the start of your claim), you should be eligible for benefits. Keep in mind that thousands are applying right now, and the website may be laggy or clunky. Be patient, you will complete it.

    After you complete the application, they will give you a confirmation number. Hold onto that, although you will probably never need it. They will mail you a 4 digit access code, and when you get it, I suggest you go back to Canada.ca and set up your My Service Canada account which contains a lot of really good information about your claim. You need that 4 digit access code, so you will have to wait until it arrives.

    After that, follow up with your employer to ensure that they sent us your ROE. Most employers submit electronically to us, but they aren't required to. If they don't, it is your responsibility to get that paper ROE to us. That ROE contains the financial information we will need to calculate your claim. Keep in mind, Service Canada suggests a 28 calendar day time frame to finalize an application, and that is from the day you apply. If you are eligible, they will back pay you for everything you are entitled to. Ensure that we have that ROE though. I know of many times where a client calls like 35 days after submitting the application questioning why we haven't calculated or finalized their claim yet, and the reason is because we are missing ROEs.

    Also, super important, once you receive your access code in the mail, start doing your bi-weekly reports. You can do your bi-weekly reports on the website or by using the automated service on the phone. These reports ask you 6 questions pertaining to a 2 week window. Those questions are "Were you out of the Country during this 2 week time?", "Did you work during this 2 week time?", "Did you start a full time job during this 2 week time? (They will not ask you this question if you say that you did not work in the previous question), "Did you attend school or training during this 2 week time?", "Were you ready willing and able to work during this 2 week time?" and "Did you receive any other money that we are not aware of ?". How you answer those questions determines whether or not you are entitled to receive a payment for this 2 week time. IMPORTANT: Do these bi-weekly reports even if your claim has not been finalized. The computer will only wait for you to do these reports for 5 weeks before it puts you into what is called "Failure to report", which is a pain in the ass to get out of. Even if your claim isn't finalized, your completed reports will sit there and once your claim is calculated, those reports will pay out.

    As far as your wife goes, she may have a tougher time collecting benefits; certainly regular benefits. The reason being, you need somewhere between 420 and 700 hours of insured employment depending on the regional rate of unemployment in your area (The higher the unemployment rate, the less hours you need to qualify) in the qualifying period in order to qualify for regular benefits. The qualifying period is generally the 1 year period before the start of your claim. If she hasn't worked in insurable employment in the last year, she will not have any hours to qualify. Also, you have to answer the availability question positively to qualify. So, even if she does have enough hours, if she isn't seeking full time employment (as I said in an earlier post, they changed the wording of this question to "If it wasn't for the threat of Covid-19, would you be available for and seeking full time employment?"), then she would not qualify for benefits.

    Keep in mind your wife may still qualify for The Emergency Care Benefit, which is a new benefits specifically to help people affected by Covid-19. Information on this is still pretty vague, but at some point in April, people will be able to apply for this.

    Best of luck, Man. I hope that this helps. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any further questions.

    Rylant

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    Default Re: Any Employment Insurance questions out there?

    Hey Rylant. You rock. Some background info. I'm self employed (sole proprietor making professional income). I haven't paid any EI premiums from previous tax returns so I don't quality for special benefits for self-employed people (i.e. sickness benefits). I'm currently in self isolation (working from home) and probably for a few more weeks. The company I work for has slashed hours for all consultants from 5 days a week to 2 days a week. From the third post above, it seems I may be eligible for the Emergency Care Benefit. I wanted to hear your thoughts and make sure I'm not missing on anything. Thanks in advance.

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